How I Work

The way we work has never changed quite as much as it did during the pandemic. Sure, you probably knew a couple of people with home offices or flexible hours, but after lockdowns, remote work went from a rarity to the new normal. When everyone was suddenly forced to stay inside, we all realised we could get by with tools like Google Docs and Zoom. But what if we were wrong?  Adam Nathan, the co-fo...

Adam Alter might just have the simplest productivity system of anyone I’ve interviewed. He uses a to-do list app, but it’s barely more advanced than a piece of paper. He values deep work, but he doesn’t build his life around it. So if he’s supposedly doing so little, how’s he getting so much done?  And trust me, he’s getting a lot done: Adam’s a Professor of Marketing at NYU’s Stern School of Busi...

Despite living in Australia for his entire life, my dad speaks with a Polish accent. But that’s not all that’s different about him since he suffered a stroke in 2009…  Martin Imber always considered himself a logical, “right-brained” person - he was a computer programmer, after all. But since his stroke, he believes he’s become more empathetic, more compassionate.  Martin shares what he’s learned...

If you’re into productivity or life-hacking, you’ve probably come across some pretty unusual tips and tools recently: we’re talking automatic ice baths, full-scale saunas, magic mushroom teas, and a whole lot of multi-hour morning routines.  While I love a wild idea as much as the next productivity nerd, I also have a budget! Thankfully, Susan Carland’s favourite time-savers and life-upgraders are...

No two careers will ever look exactly the same, but few of them look anything like a professional sporting career. Former AFL player Tom Boyd is the prime example: he’d worked towards the same goal since his early childhood, and after reaching the pinnacle of his game, he retired at the ripe old age of 23.  So, what do you do when your career ends before you’re even halfway through your twenties? ...

What matters most when pursuing a goal? Discipline? Routine? Accountability? All of those are important, sure, but how come nobody ever mentions fun?  Economist and Wharton professor Katy Milkman wants to change that: according to research out of the Univeristy of Chicago and Cornell University, people persist in goal pursuit for longer if they can find a way to make the process more enjoyable.  K...

The greatest stories inspire, terrify, inform and change us. They might change our lives, or simply help us get through the day. But if we know how central stories are to the human experience, why don’t more of us learn how to craft them more effectively?  Matthew Dicks has been writing (and teaching writing) for decades now, and he’s seen the craft of storytelling change many lives in many ways....

When he reached 60, Nigel Marsh realised his most ‘conventionally’ successful days might be behind him… But what does that actually mean?  After a long and lucrative career in the commercial sector, Nigel knew the day would come when he’d no longer be able to keep pace with his younger colleagues. He’s had to accept that there comes a time in all of our lives when we need to step back and slow dow...

Wil Anderson knows you think your mates are funnier than him, but that doesn’t bother him. After more than two decades dominating the Australian comedy scene, Wil’s learned that his job isn’t just to be funny: his job is to be funny when the red light comes on.  Wil recognises that life is hard more often than it’s easy, and nobody performs at their best when things are truly tough. However, what...

On his enormously popular blog, Wait But Why, Tim Urban writes about some pretty heavy topics. He’s covered North Korea, the state of American politics and culture, and Elon Musk’s rise to fame, to name just a few. So you might be surprised when you click onto the blog for the first time and see it’s overrun with… stick figure drawings?  Tim’s writing style is playful and personable, but his uniqu...

Among great thinkers, the long walk or run is nothing new. Philosophers, artists, novelists and world leaders have long espoused the value of solitude for working through thorny problems.  Award-winning investigative journalist Nick McKenzie is no different. Whether he’s stuck in a tough patch of writing, or trying to figure out his next move in a delicate investigation, running alone often leads...

Matthew Dicks is a master storyteller, and he’s just as committed to understanding great stories as he is to crafting them himself.  The author, school teacher and writing coach has spent years studying stories, trying to figure out why they impact us so deeply, and searching for the principles that underpin the very best of them.  His most important finding: stories are about change over time. Wh...

What does it take to lead one of the world’s most creative and innovative companies?  Mel Silva’s been with Google for over 16 years, and now as the Managing Director for Australia and New Zealand, she’s a pivotal part of fostering the company’s world-famous culture.  Mel unpacks the key lessons she’s learned in her many roles with the company, including the lessons she’s learned from her coach, a...

You’ve heard it a million times - improving your writing will make you better at just about any job you can think of. But how do you actually improve? How do you hone the craft?   Marketing expert and bestselling author Ann Handley dedicates much of her own writing to teaching the craft, and she says the most important component of effective writing is the unique voice of the author.  Especially t...

“We’re all cogs in a wheel,” Melissa Doyle tells her kids. “But we’re all vital…” As one of Australia’s favourite TV presenters, you won’t be surprised to learn Melissa fields a lot of requests for career advice. But at the beginning of her own career, she just wanted to become like the women she admired. She imitated their voices and studied their styles, but quickly realised - she would never tr...

Nigel Marsh doesn’t suffer fools - even when they pay him! After an enormously successful career in the commercial sector, Nigel’s now a bestselling author, and the host of the hit podcast, Five of My Life, and a highly sought-after executive coach. But his coaching isn’t a walk in the park… The cornerstone of Nigel’s coaching practice is his unique line of questioning: he’s discovered over the co...

Feeling overwhelmed? You’re not alone. In this episode of the Happy Families crossover series you’ll learn some low-effort and high-impact ways to remove reoccurring stressors in your life. Connect with me on the socials: Linkedin Twitter Instagram   If you’re looking for more tips to improve the way you work, I write a fortnightly newsletter that contains three cool things I have discovered that...

Workers in the modern age are already changing careers far more frequently than previous generations - but that doesn’t make transitioning any easier, especially when you’re moving into an entirely different field. Elise McCann can confirm: the actor, singer and dancer is one of Australia’s most celebrated performers, but at the height of the pandemic, she decided to try something (very) different...

Staying healthy doesn’t need to be a pain. In this episode of the Happy Families crossover series you’ll hear some tips and tricks to get exercise into your life in a meaningful way – no matter how busy your home and work schedules are. Connect with me on the socials: Linkedin Twitter Instagram   If you’re looking for more tips to improve the way you work, I write a fortnightly newsletter that con...

If you’ve listened to How I Work for a while, you’ve definitely heard me talk about the Four Day Week, and how much we love it at Inventium. But if you want to implement the practice at your own organisation, you probably have a lot of questions… Doesn’t a four day week just mean longer working days? Should everyone take the same day off, or is it better to stagger? And of course, how do you know...

In this episode of the Happy Families crossover series we cover all things work life balance. Is it even possible in 2023? Yes, but you have to set some strong guidelines and keep them enforced. You’ll get actionable tips to help demarcate your family time starting from today. Connect with me on the socials: Linkedin Twitter Instagram   If you’re looking for more tips to improve the way you work,...

In case you weren’t already aware - artificial intelligence is well and truly everywhere now. Even professional athletes are speeding up their online interactions with the help of ChatGPT!  Or maybe that’s just American-Australian AFL player Mason Cox, who calls himself a mechanical engineer at heart, and who’s always looking for ways to get things done more efficiently. Now that he’s also a podca...

Who doesn’t love a collaboration? This is the first episode in a four-week crossover series with the popular podcast Happy Families all about how to improve health and wellbeing in your home life. In this episode we talk about why you need to stop treating sleep like a luxury item. We go through why it matters and how to get more of it. Connect with me on the socials: Linkedin Twitter Instagram  ...

We psychologists tend to lean more on science and statistics when thinking about how best to live our lives… but sometimes numbers and statistics don’t give us the whole, human picture. Sometimes, even the professionals need a good old-fashioned chat with their mums - and that’s exactly what I’ve decided to do! My mum is Doris Imber, a clinical psychologist, award-winning poet, memoirist and child...

Lucy Durack is on the edge of a nervous breakdown… Or at least, that’s how it can sometimes feel on opening night of a new play or musical. If she lets her focus lie on all the production notes, line changes and new stage directions, she’ll collapse into an anxious wreck.  But of course, those are all important parts of a performer’s job - so how does she play her part, without falling apart?  Ove...