The Paul Minors Podcast: Productivity, Business & Self-Improvement

This week I’ll be completing my final few days of full-time employment as a Mortgage Adviser at iRefi. It’s a bittersweet sort of feeling; it’s sad to be leaving such an awesome group of guys but exciting to be embarking on new adventures. I’ve had a fantastic time working at iRefi and learned an incredible amount (I would never have thought in a million years that I’d ever be accredited as a Mortgage Adviser). It’s a shame to be leaving, but I’m all about growth and it’s time to start the next chapter of my life. Show notes: PaulMinors.com/56 If you want to be more productive, start my free 3-part video series to supercharge your productivity and get more organised!: PaulMinors.com/training If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the podcast. I'd also love it if you could leave me a review. Doing this will help more people discover the show so they to can get more done and get more out of life. Intro/Outro Music: "Synthia" by Scott & Brendo

A Guide to the Good Life is an eye-opening read about how to live a happier and more meaningful life. The book challenges you to think about living life as an art. The art of living is a skill to be practised (rather than “misliving” and failing to acquire the happiness you want). Show notes: PaulMinors.com/55 If you want to be more productive, start my free 3-part video series to supercharge your productivity and get more organised!: PaulMinors.com/training If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the podcast. I'd also love it if you could leave me a review. Doing this will help more people discover the show so they to can get more done and get more out of life. Intro/Outro Music: "Synthia" by Scott & Brendo

In this episode of the Productivity Podcast, I talk to Kris J. Simpson who is a weight-loss, fitness and rehabilitation expert. Kris delivers a TONNE of value in this episode and walks us through the 5 facets of health and fitness (food, emotions, activity, relaxing, sleeping) and how they impact our wellbeing and productivity. Kris is also the author of the best-selling book, All Inclusive Diet. Kris is giving away a free copy of the book to anyone who listens to this episode. Just email Kris (kris@krisjsimpson.com), tell him you listened to the show and he’ll send you his best-selling book for FREE! Show notes: 1. Who is Kris Simpson and what do you do? (3.38) 2. Regarding your FEARS Acronym, Can you explain more about why each of these things are important (11.26) 3. There are lots of health myths out there. What are the common mistakes you see people making when it comes to health, sleep, exercise and diet?(21.52) 4. If you had to help the listeners with one piece of advice, one area of your health to focus on, what would that be? (25.23) 5. What are some things you can do to control your life in terms of emotional stability. (27.49) 6. What about your productivity workflow? As a writer and business owner, how do you manage your work and get everything done?(36.20) 7. Tell us about your own health routine. When do you excessive, for how long, how many times a week, what type of workout?(38.35) 8. Any extra words of wisdom? (45.59) Show notes: PaulMinors.com/54 If you want to be more productive, start my free 3-part video series to supercharge your productivity and get more organised!: PaulMinors.com/training If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the podcast. I'd also love it if you could leave me a review. Doing this will help more people discover the show so they to can get more done and get more out of life. Intro/Outro Music: "Synthia" by Scott & Brendo

In this episode of the Productivity Podcast, I chat with Jo Bendle who is a travelling productivity consultant who helps female entrepreneurs to get more done and grow their businesses. Jo’s energy and enthusiasm is really infectious and I had a great time chatting with Jo finding out about her productivity secrets and learning how she’s growing her business while travelling the world. Questions: 1. Who is Jo Bendle and what do you do? (4.03) 2. What’s your philosophy on personal productivity and its role in business and life? (5.17) 3. When you work with a client for the first time, where do you typically start? (7.39) 4. I see a lot of people who have long to-do lists and not enough time in the day. What’s your advice to someone in this kind of situation? (12.17) 5. Prioritisation is a really important park of productivity and identifying the 20% of sources that create 80% of outputs. What’s your approach to prioritisation? (14.57) 6. What does your own productivity system look like? What tools and processes do you use to plan your time and manage your work? (23.07) 7. What are the main considerations around productivity that you need to make while travelling? How do you balance work with free time? (31.24) 8. If someone wanted to do what you do (work for themselves while travelling), how do you recommend they start? (35.31) Show notes: PaulMinors.com/53 If you want to be more productive, start my free 3-part video series to supercharge your productivity and get more organised!: PaulMinors.com/training If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the podcast. I'd also love it if you could leave me a review. Doing this will help more people discover the show so they to can get more done and get more out of life. Intro/Outro Music: "Synthia" by Scott & Brendo

In this episode, I’d like to talk about 8 different productivity archetypes i.e. different ways of doing your work. The interesting thing is, you may not fit just one archetype. It’s likely that you’ll chop and change how you work based on the projects you’re working on. For example, my work as a mortgage adviser requires me to be very responsive throughout the day which is where I fit into The Reacter archetype. But when I get home and start working on this side-project, I play the role of The Maker or The Schemer. Show notes: PaulMinors.com/52 If you want to be more productive, start my email course, the 7-Day Productivity Plan. Receive actionable, easy to follow advice via one email a day for 7 days: PaulMinors.com/7days If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the podcast. I'd also love it if you could leave me a review. Doing this will help more people discover the show so they to can get more done and get more out of life. Intro/Outro Music: "Synthia" by Scott & Brendo

This month marks the two-year anniversary of when I officially started working on this blog of mine. Well, actually… I’ve been blogging on PaulMinors.com for more than two years. But it was two years ago that I decided to focus on the productivity topic and build an online business around helping people in this space. So, where am I now? What have I learned, and what would I do differently if I had to start again? Show notes: PaulMinors.com/51 If you want to be more productive, start my email course, the 7-Day Productivity Plan. Receive actionable, easy to follow advice via one email a day for 7 days: PaulMinors.com/7days If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the podcast. I'd also love it if you could leave me a review. Doing this will help more people discover the show so they to can get more done and get more out of life. Intro/Outro Music: "Synthia" by Scott & Brendo

In this episode of the Productivity Podcast, I talk to David Sparks from MacSparky.com and co-host of the Mac Power Users Podcast. Being a fan of the Mac Power Users, I’ve learned a lot from David and his co-host Katie Floyd all about how to be more productive and efficient on the Mac. He’s introduced me to some great new tools and changed the way I use my Mac (for the better). When he’s not talking about Mac’s or writing about technology, David is a self-employed Business Attorney and needless to say, he’s a very productive guy. 1. For those who don’t know, who is David Sparks and what do you do? (4.00) 2. How do you balance all the different projects in your life? You’re an Attorney, blogger, podcaster and father. How do you fit it all in? (4.43) 3. For people getting started with the Mac, what are the first few things you would have people do to use their Mac more effectively? (6.40) 4. And what about more advanced users? What advice would you give to someone who’s already fairly competent and looking to get more out of their Mac? (16.40) 5. If you had to delete all third-party apps but one (so you just get the default suite from Apple), which one app would you choose to keep? (28.00) 6. What are you most excited about the latest updates from Apple? (28.43) Show notes: PaulMinors.com/50 If you want to be more productive, start my email course, the 7-Day Productivity Plan. Receive actionable, easy to follow advice via one email a day for 7 days: PaulMinors.com/7days If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the podcast. I'd also love it if you could leave me a review. Doing this will help more people discover the show so they to can get more done and get more out of life. Intro/Outro Music: "Synthia" by Scott & Brendo

In this episode of the productivity podcast, I talk to Brittany Joiner from Project1440.co. Brittany subscribed to my email list about 5 months ago and as many subscribers do, she shared her story and told me her goals and aspirations. She explained how she was in the process of creating a website and it was great to hear of her progress when she followed up a few months later to say she had launched her site on the side, while working full-time. I wanted to invite Brittany on the show as I’m keen to connect with my audience and put a spotlight on their work. Brittany’s enthusiasm and motivation is really inspiring and I love that she’s executing on her goals, despite a lack of time (we all know how that feels right). 1. Who is Brittany Joiner and what do you do? (2.40) 2. What does productivity mean for you? Why’s it a big deal? (8.10) 3. What do you think are the most common problems that people face when it comes to productivity. (11.20) 4. With 1,440 minutes in the day and you wanting to use every minute in the best possible way, what does your personal productivity workflow look like? (14.35) 5. What apps and tools do you use for managing tasks, email, calendar etc… what are you most recommended productivity tools? (25.35) 6. What’s a less known productivity tool that you love using? (31.04) 7. How’s the book writing going? What does your writing process look like? (35.30) 8. Where can people learn more about you? (40.35) Show notes: PaulMinors.com/49 If you want to be more productive, start my email course, the 7-Day Productivity Plan. Receive actionable, easy to follow advice via one email a day for 7 days: PaulMinors.com/7days If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the podcast. I'd also love it if you could leave me a review. Doing this will help more people discover the show so they to can get more done and get more out of life. Intro/Outro Music: "Synthia" by Scott & Brendo

Comparing yourself to others is a tricky business. It’s natural to measure our progress against the people we aspire to be like, and yet, this very action can harm our productivity and self-esteem. Show notes: PaulMinors.com/48 If you want to be more productive, start my email course, the 7-Day Productivity Plan. Receive actionable, easy to follow advice via one email a day for 7 days: PaulMinors.com/7days If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the podcast. I'd also love it if you could leave me a review. Doing this will help more people discover the show so they to can get more done and get more out of life. Intro/Outro Music: "Synthia" by Scott & Brendo

In this episode of the Productivity Podcast, I talk to Ryan Waggoner who’s a master freelancer and expert on how to earn more in the time that you have. One of my biggest takeaways from the episode is why and how to move away from charging hourly to using “value pricing” and charging based on the outcomes that clients are looking for. Even if you’re not a freelancer, I’m sure you’ll get a lot of value from this episode as you listen to Ryan’s productivity processes. And if you’ve ever considered freelancing or earning a side-income from some skill that you have, then be sure to give this episode a listen as it’ll help you to avoid a lot of the mistakes that people often make when charging out their time. Show notes: PaulMinors.com/47 1) Who is Ryan Waggoner and what do you do? (3:15) 2) How did you transition from full-time work to freelancing? (7:59) 3) If you’re not going to charge hourly, do you charge a unique price per project? (9:09) 4) How can a full-time worker get started with freelancing "on the side"? (10:50) 5) As someone new to freelancing and consulting, how can I get started with finding prospecting, qualifying clients and getting paid gigs? What does this process look like? (15:40) 6) How can people leverage online “communities” to find clients? (20:13) 7) How many of your clients are new clients you've reached out to vs. referrals or repeat customers? (24:00) 8) How do you raise your rates as demand for your services increases? (27:35) 9) What are your recommended tools or apps for managing clients and getting paid? e.g. Harvest, Pipedrive. (33:06) 10) Tell us about your productivity habits, when it comes to getting work done what is your number one recommendation? (37:51) 11) How do you structure your days and do your work? e.g. the Pomodoro technique, batching tasks etc… (42:26) If you want to be more productive, start my email course, the 7-Day Productivity Plan. Receive actionable, easy to follow advice via one email a day for 7 days: PaulMinors.com/7days If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the podcast. I'd also love it if you could leave me a review. Doing this will help more people discover the show so they to can get more done and get more out of life. Intro/Outro Music: "Synthia" by Scott & Brendo

In a recent episode of the Tim Ferriss podcast, Tim interviewed the world famous performance coach, Tony Robbins. In the interview, Tony makes a great case for shifting your focus from achievement and a goal orientated mindset to fulfilment and being happy with what you do (skip forward to 42:08 to listen to this part). Robbins argues that when you focus on achievement, you’re never going to be satisfied as you want more. That’s the thing with focusing on achievement; if your happiness depends on achieving things, you’ll never be happy as you have to achieve more and more. Now compare this to the idea of feeling fulfiled by the work that you do and making this the goal. Now you’re much more likely to find and sustain happiness. If you want to be more productive, start my free email course, the 7-Day Productivity Plan. Receive actionable, easy to follow advice via one email a day for 7 days: PaulMinors.com/7days If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the podcast. I'd also love it if you could leave me a review. Doing this will help more people discover the show so they to can get more done and get more out of life. Intro/Outro Music: "Synthia" by Scott & Brendo

In this episode of the Productivity Podcast, I talk to Amy Oestreicher all about how to overcome the physical and mental challenges that life can throw at you. Amy has survived 27 life threatening surgeries after being in a coma for over a month when her stomach literally exploded. If you've ever felt like you can't move forward because of the obstacles and challenges in your life, then I think you'll enjoy this conversation with Amy. 1. Who is Amy Oestreicher and how do you currently spend your time? (3:45) 2. Having had so many setbacks in your life, what have been some of the biggest lessons you've learned that have helped you to keep moving forward. (20:59) 3. In your TED talk, you share the idea of the "detourist". What is a "detour" and what makes you a "detourist"? (28:30) 4. This reminds me a lot of what Ryan Holiday talks about in The Obstacle is the Way. He talks about how you perceive things and act afterwards as being so important. What are some practical things people can do to change the way they view bad situations? (31:50) 5. What does your current productivity workflow look like? (34:00) 6. What kind of productivity tools and apps do you use? (36:57) 7. Any final advice or words of wisdom? (43:05) If you want to be more productive, start my free email course, the 7-Day Productivity Plan. Receive actionable, easy to follow advice via one email a day for 7 days: PaulMinors.com/7days If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the podcast. I'd also love it if you could leave me a review. Doing this will help more people discover the show so they to can get more done and get more out of life. Intro/Outro Music: "Synthia" by Scott & Brendo

In this episode of the Productivity Podcast, I talk to Nick Snapp from the Make it Snappy Productivity Show all about how he’s outsourced 100% of his email and his recommendations on how to “hack corporate” and get more done at work. Nick is a productivity expert who’s passionate about helping Mum and Dad entrepreneurs to create the perfect work-life balance. He talks a lot about productivity with “purpose” and focusing on the work that matter the most. 1. Who is Nick Snapp and what do you do? (2:30) 2. What do you do and how do you spend your time right now? (3:20) 3. You talk a lot about the idea of “hacking corporate”, what is this? (13:00) 4. Talk us through your favourite strategies and tactics for “hacking corporate”? (21:55) 5. You’ve managed to outsource all your email. How? (29:20) 6. You also talk a lot about creating balance in your life and productivity from a parenting standpoint. What productivity advice do you have for any parents listening in? (42:20) 7. What tools and apps do you use as part of your productivity workflow? (58:00) 8. What have you read recently that’s really stuck in your head? (54:00) If you want to be more productive, start my free email course, the 7-Day Productivity Plan. Receive actionable, easy to follow advice via one email a day for 7 days: PaulMinors.com/7days If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the podcast. I'd also love it if you could leave me a review. Doing this will help more people discover the show so they to can get more done and get more out of life. Intro/Outro Music: "Synthia" by Scott & Brendo

“I don’t have time” is one of the most common struggles I hear people talk about. It’s easy to feel frustrated and overwhelmed when we try to be more organised and plan out our days only to have the plan ruined by endless distractions. When this happens, focusing and sustaining “deep work” is almost impossible. As we try to catch up, we get further away from actually accomplishing our goals and end up spending less time on the things we really care about. The good news is, you’re not alone… Today I’d like to share the mistakes that productivity experts from around the world still get caught out by. If you want to be more productive, start my free email course, the 7-Day Productivity Plan. Receive actionable, easy to follow advice via one email a day for 7 days: PaulMinors.com/7days If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the podcast. I'd also love it if you could leave me a review. Doing this will help more people discover the show so they to can get more done and get more out of life. Intro/Outro Music: "Synthia" by Scott & Brendo

In this episode, I talk to Bryce Bladon from ClientsfromHell.net all about his book writing process and how he was able to write a book in just 4 weeks. Show notes: https://paulminors.com/42 Bryce is a master freelancer and if you’re interested in learning more about how to work with and earn more from your clients, check out his book, Hell to Pay. Use the code, PRODUCTIVEPAUL to get 60% off the book (normally $38). This is the largest discount Bryce has ever offered on the book, so please consider supporting his work. Bryce is also offering 50% off his online course, The Start Freelancing Course. The course contains a complete guide to starting with freelancing, this course offers everything a first-time freelancer needs to succeed in their new career. 1. Who is Bryce Bladon and what do you do? (2:39) 2. How is your time currently divided between your different projects (consulting, blogging, podcasting, writing etc…)? (3:36) 3. What are you favourite “client from hell” stories? (6:55) 4. What are some common mistakes freelancers make when working with clients? (14:30) 5. To date, you’ve written 5 books, one of them took just 4 weeks… when it comes to writing (for a blog or book), what does your process look like? (17:43) 6. When writing, what is your time best spent on? i.e. what are the 20% of tasks that result in 80% of the value/benefits of the book? (24:50) 7. What are some tactical things people can do when starting on creative projects? (29:10) 8. Talk to me about productivity porn. What are some of the things people do to make themselves feel productive but not achieve anything? (38:23) 9. What tools or apps do you use in your productivity workflow? (42:30) 10. What are your most common book recommendations? (47:05) 11. What is something you’ve read recently that’s really stuck in your head? (51:54) If you want to be more productive, start my free email course, the 7-Day Productivity Plan. Receive actionable, easy to follow advice via one email a day for 7 days: PaulMinors.com/7days If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the podcast. I'd also love it if you could leave me a review. Doing this will help more people discover the show so they to can get more done and get more out of life. Intro/Outro Music: "Synthia" by Scott & Brendo