Productivity Alchemy

I am packing up to go to MAGFest, and so we talk a little about prep for the trip. We also touch on mind-maps, editing books. Then we launch into an interview with one of my favorite authors and a really cool person, K. C. Alexander. We had a lot of fun talking, and I hope you enjoy hearing it as much as we enjoyed recording it. Links for this Episode: K. C. Alexander Homepage K. C. Alexander Patr...

It is that time of year again - all the blog posts, radio stories, and articles about "Meeting your Goals in 2018!" and "Be Your Best You in 2018!" - and we have opinions. Many, many opinions. We also talk about strategies for doing a yearly review, celebrating your successes as they happen, and not feeling like a failure in February. After all that, we interview friend of the show Bertha Tang, an...

This week, we will start by talking about having a "miss" day: a day when something interferes with your planned activities and throws you off. After that, we'll talk about doing big things a little bit at a time (a.k.a. "eating the whale/elephant"). After that, we have a chance to talk to author, podcaster, and vlogger Matt Wallace. Links for this episode: Matt Wallace on Twitter Matt Wallace on...

Once more into the mailbox! This week we will announce the winner of the planner giveaway from Episode 23! After that, we discuss the next app for our Wombat Test Subject to try, followed by your questions and comments! Links for this Episode : TickTick HollyApp OurGroceries Lydean's Planner

Hey! I'm just back from Scrum Manager class, and we'll talk about that a little this week. We also check in with our Wombat Test Subject and how she is doing with Remember the Milk, and her rant on certain other software tools. Finally, we get a chance to talk to our friend Jacob Dawson about how he stays productive. Links for this show: Charlie Stross's "Why Microsoft Word must Die" Jacob Dawson...

This week we tackle planning for the holidays, and then we review a pile of planners we've picked up as we look towards the new year. We will even give one away, and you can find out how you can be entered into a drawing for a Simple Elephant Planner! We also talk to Terri Ash, who we met at Arisia earlier this year, and find out how she keeps herself organized. Photos of the planners are linked b...

This week we discuss being able to focus on one thing, and one thing only, start to finish. Our Wombat Test Subject finally tries out Remember The Milk, and we get to hear what she thinks. Our interview this week is with one of our favorite people, Deb Kosiba from Seward Street Studios. Links for this Episode: A PSA from Mugin the Pit Bull's Mom Seward Street Studios Google Keep Oberon Design Naom...

Slightly shorter show this week, since I am fighting off a mild case of "Con Crud." That's OK, since we talk to Jeff Eddy from SofaWolf Press this week! We also find out why our Wombat Test Subject still hasn't tried Remember the Milk, and discuss her win when scheduling her next book tour. Links for this episode: SofaWolf Press Selligent Remember the Milk Trello Todoist

Hi folks! We're gonna start off this week with an apology, and then get to a quick review of TaskWarrior. And then our Wombat Test Subject and I will answer your letters! (Also, I really need to get a mouse that doesn't make such a loud click) Links for this episode: TaskWarrior InThe. AM TaskWarrior Sync Remember the Milk Manifesto for Agile Software Development

November is upon us, and it is time to start the discussion around 2018 planners (if you are a paper planning person). It is also time for NaNoWriMo, and our Wombat Test Subject (Ursula Vernon) has some advice and thoughts on the process. Finally, we have an interview with our friend Tarus Balog, who talks about his experience in Open Source and how he and his team stays productive. Links for this...

The last week has been absolutely fantastic, and this week's interview is just the icing on the cake! Guest (and Habitica co-founder) Vicky Hsu and I were at All Things Open talking about being productive with Habitica. And that is what we are going to talk about on the show this week : why we like Habitica, some of the features we use, and why it works so well for us. Links for this episode: Habi...

This week, we discuss the value of knowing yourself and having multiple projects running at once. At the same time, we will talk about how that's not for everyone. We also have an interview with Award-winning Author and Podcaster Mur Lafferty, who discusses her workflow and how she keeps on track. Links for this Episode: The Murverse Six Wakes I Should Be Writing (Book) I Should Be Writing (Podcas...

This week, our Wombat Test Subject (author and illustrator Ursula Vernon) and I will talk about being ovecommitted, and some of the challenges that come with it. We will also read and answer your letters! Enjoy! Links for this Episode: Unfuck Your Habitat My New Me (aka Productivity Lady) Notebook Video Levenger Circa Daily Agenda Pages

This week we will recap the reasons to do an off-site and why it is a good idea to disconnect sometimes. Our Wombat Test Subject speaks to when she is most productive, how Bullet Journals are just not for her, and why almost everyone we know who is in a creative field is running behind right now. Finally, we have a really good (but noisy) interview with freelance UX designer Dylan Wilbanks. And fo...

This week is a very short episode since I am on the road and my Wombat Test Subject is on the other side of the continent. But we do have a nice chat with my manager, Eugene Yaacobi, about how he keeps himself organized, and some of his thoughts on Productivity as a manager. No Links this week. Download this Episode

This week we continue our exploration of Bullet Journals. Our Wombat Test Subject has a shocking confession, and we talk about not "breaking the chain" and how it can be done with bullet journals. We also have an interview with Systems Engineer Bill Mohler, and how he stays productive. Links for this episode: Don't Break the Chain Bullet Journal Running Log Emacs Org-Mode Getting Started with Org...

This week, we take the plunge: the Wombat Test Subject (AKA Ursula Vernon) will try using a Bullet Journal. And as a lead up to this, we talk a little more in depth about how a Bullet Journal is structured, and what the appeal is for so many people. And then before we go, we'll read and answer some listener letters. I hope you enjoy it! Links for this episode: LastPass 1Password KeePass OneTastic

We are back from our most recent travels, and have an amazing interview with guest Raygan Earl on her use of a Bullet Journal. Our Wombat Test Subject discusses her experiences with some mobile apps, we discuss what it means to feel like you have accomplished something, and finally we take the first steps into Bullet Journals. Links for this episode: Bullet Journal Main Site Carrot Wunderlist iPen...

My Wombat Test Subject and I are on our way to BuboniCon, but took the time out to talk about WorldCon, our lack of planning while on vacation, and her experiences with OneNote. Our WTS assigns herself homework this week, and we cap it all off by chatting with our friend C.E. Murphy. Links : The Essential Kit C.E. Murphy's Patreon FantastiCal for iPad CARROT To-Do

This week we will review our experiences with writing a Mission Statement. The Wombat Test Subject will get introduced to OneNote, and the possibilities there. Our Interview this week is with Margaret Trauth, comic artist and creator. Links for this week: OneNote Margaret Trauth Decrypting Rita Margaret Trauth on Pateron We're Still Here: An All-Trans Comic Anthology

This week we will review our experiences with the Emergent Task Planner, and move on to the fine art (or confusion) of writing a Mission Statement. The Wombat Test Subject has a lot of questions, and I do my best to answer them. We will also read some of your letters and comments, and try to answer your questions. Links for this Episode: Guide to Creating Mission & Vision Statements Trello Kanban...

This week we start off with a discussion of Coaching and Training, in particular something Kevin did called WoodBadge for the 21st Century from the BSA. Our Wombat Test Subject gets her new assignment, the Emergent Task Planner (ETP) from David Seah. Our interview this week is with Libby Christensen, who uses the ETP and several other techniques to keep herself on track. Links for this week : Davi...

This week, we're going to talk to our Wombat Test Subject about the goals she put together over the last week, and discuss creating good goals. She also has a rant, unrelated to her goals! Our interview this week is with our friend Carlota, who organizes several teams inside her organization, and we end with a letter from a listener asking about handling "list anxiety." (If the audio on this one i...

This week we discuss our annual trip to Anthrocon, and what I did to help both of us keep organized, even if we didn't use our planners that much. We'll also read some listener comments that have come in in the past week. Links for this Episode Ink+Volt Bullet Journal Time Management for System Administrators Download this Episode

This week, Kevin and his Wombat Test Subject (AKA Ursula Vernon) discuss the pitfalls of customizing your own planner, as well as the differences between Goals and Deadlines. Our interview this week is with the artist Lis "Lizardbeth" Boriss.  Links for this Episode: LizardBethArt on Twitter LizardBeth on Instagram Lis 'LizardBeth' Boriss Patreon Download this Episode