ProductivityCast

What a year 2020 has been! This week, the ProductivityCast team reminisces on four of our eight favorite episode topics this year (and all eight are embedded below for your listening pleasure), then we discuss thoughts on interests for next year. Happy, Productive New Year! (If you’re reading this in a podcast directory/app, please visit https://productivitycast.net/105 for clickable links and the...

The Pomodoro Technique This week on ProductivityCast, we discuss the ever-popular personal productivity technique called the Pomodoro Technique, a time management process developed by Francesco Cirillo. We did a little deeper at the Pomodoro Technique and how it might help you (and even your remote schooling kids!) be more productive. (If you’re reading this in a podcast directory/app, please visi...

Using Your Task Management Profile to Focus Changes Everyone is walking around with self-taught skills in task management. As such, skill levels vary greatly but everyone would like to know where their areas of weakness might lie. In this episode the ProductivityCast team looks at the ways to build a task management profile and how one might interpret a self-assessment. (If you’re reading this in...

This week, we bring you our third Productivity App-apalooza! We’ll review three apps each that we know and use, and think you might find value in knowing about and using too! We’ll go in three rounds of the ProductivityCast team. (If you’re reading this in a podcast directory/app, please visit https://productivitycast.net/102 for clickable links and the full show notes and transcript of this cast....

This was a strange year, but that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy a bit of cheer...and by cheer, we mean holiday presents! So, we’re starting a tradition here on ProductivityCast--a holiday gift guide show each year, discussing the gifts we think the productivity enthusiast in your life will enjoy (and perhaps that’s you!). Enjoy our Holiday Gift Guide 2020! (If you’re reading this in a podcast direct...

We've reached 100 episodes! And, in honor of that, we hosted a live show and discussed our favorite of the first 99 episodes. Thanks to everyone who attended live and joined in the conversation, and here's to the next 100 episodes. Here's to your productive life, everyone. (If you’re reading this in a podcast directory/app, please visit https://productivitycast.net/100 for clickable links and the...

On this week’s ProductivityCast, we discuss the merits and demerits of all-in-one productivity tools, the likes of Outlook and its competitors on the market. Can they be good for your personal productivity system? Do they work at scale in an organization? Listen and let us know your thoughts. (If you’re reading this in a podcast directory/app, please visit https://productivitycast.net/099 for clic...

On this week’s ProductivityCast, we discuss the merits and demerits of Staying Productive with good cybersecurity practices. This is part 2 of 2. Listen and let us know your thoughts. (If you’re reading this in a podcast directory/app, please visit https://productivitycast.net/098 for clickable links and the full show notes and transcript of this cast.) Enjoy! Give us feedback! And, thanks for lis...

On this week’s ProductivityCast, we discuss the merits and demerits of Staying Productive with good cybersecurity practices. This is part 1 of 2. Listen and let us know your thoughts. (If you’re reading this in a podcast directory/app, please visit https://productivitycast.net/097 for clickable links and the full show notes and transcript of this cast.) Enjoy! Give us feedback! And, thanks for lis...

The ProductivityCast team was having a conversation about our generational perspectives on technology and how they affect views about personal productivity. So, we decided to turn on the recording and share with you that conversation. What are your thoughts about how generations think differently about technology vis-a-vis productivity? (If you’re reading this in a podcast directory/app, please vi...

In this week's show, we discuss how our mobile productivity usage was and has mobile productivity changed during the COVID-19 pandemic and how that may apply to your own personal productivity systems. (If you’re reading this in a podcast directory/app, please visit https://productivitycast.net/095 for clickable links and the full show notes and transcript of this cast.) Enjoy! Give us feedback! An...

Mind maps are ancient theory, but they’re not ancient history! Since the concept of mind mapping was popularized by Dr. Tony Buzan’s work in the 1970s, they have become a staple in academy and productivity circles in the past 20 years especially. Learn how the ProductivityCast team uses mind maps in their personal productivity systems, and how you might want to use them, too! (If you’re reading th...

Today on ProductivityCast we discussed some of our favorite non-digital productivity gear. (If you’re reading this in a podcast directory/app, please visit https://productivitycast.net/093 for clickable links and the full show notes and transcript of this cast.) Enjoy! Give us feedback! And, thanks for listening! If you'd like to continue discussing non-digital productivity gear from this episode,...

Augusto recently had an epiphany about turning an older Microsoft Surface he had laying around, that wasn’t quite working (Augusto, you can clarify for listeners), into a Chromebook. And, we thought it would be a fun, techie episode for us to discuss how to do so. Also, we discuss how choosing the right technology upgrade or retirement strategies can help sustain and renew the only known celestial...

What is the reason for having a career that you enjoy (or “love”)? And, what can you do action-wise to change the trajectory of your career satisfaction/life fulfillment? That’s what the ProductivityCast team tackles on this cast! Enjoy! (If you’re reading this in a podcast directory/app, please visit https://productivitycast.net/091 for clickable links and the full show notes and transcript of th...

Welcome to Productivity App-apalooza, Second Edition! Ray, Augusto, Francis and Art use and experiment with hundreds of apps per year in our productive lives. So, a few times per year, we review software and services that we use and recommend to others. We hope you enjoy, and let us know the apps you’re using that are helping you be more productive! (If you’re reading this in a podcast directory/a...

The State of Project Collaboration Software in 2020: Slack, Teams, G Chat, and now P2 Automattic, the company that manages the open source software, WordPress.org, recently launched P2, its version of project collaboration software for the Remote Work Age. Timely, considering the state of the COVID-19 pandemic, but it also provides commentary on the state of project management today. My reading of...

Frequently we hear the term “amateur” bandied about as an insult. But, there’s a long and rich history to what amateur really means. And, being productive, in my humble opinion, requires you to be an amateur and professional, simply in the right amounts and contexts. What does amateur mean? What does professional mean? And, how can their differences help level-up your personal productivity? That’s...

Automating Your Office: Improving Your Workplace Productivity With Office Automation In this week’s ProductivityCast, we discuss: What is office automation? How does it differ from home automation? What office automation do you currently have/use? What office automation would you use if technology/cost/other barriers to entry were not there? Where should you start with office automation? (If you’r...

In this week’s cast, we discuss how the Internet of Things affects personal productivity. All those smart devices (including your smartphones and tablets) make up part of the large interconnected web of items tethered to one another by the Web. We provide our thoughts on approaching the IoT productivity in your home and life. (If you’re reading this in a podcast directory/app, please visit https:/...

Some of us of a certain age were introduced to digital technology with four basics of personal productivity at the fore—calendar, tasks, contacts and notes. Today, the calendar seems to be the remaining function that presents prominently on any new smartphone or tablet that you might purchase. Why is that the current state of productivity? And, what can you do to go back to the future with making...

Capturing, annotating and even doodling in lectures or meetings can be more digital than ever before. What are the options on the market? And, how do you approach smart pen productivity? That’s what we discussed this week on ProductivityCast! (If you’re reading this in a podcast directory/app, please visit https://productivitycast.net/084 for clickable links and the full show notes and transcript...

From planner systems to no-code platforms to 3D printing, creating your own productivity tools today using analog or digital products has become easier than ever. But, how do you approach this so that you make an effective personal productivity tool for yourself, so not just scurrying down the proverbial rabbit hole? That’s what we discuss in this week’s ProductivityCast! Creating your own product...

Emergencies abound. But, they don't always mean you have to lose personal productivity. With some contingency productivity planning, you can stay productive even when things break, when technology fails us, and when people snap! Also, this was recorded a while back and since then, we're glad to note that Francis has since upgraded successfully and happily to Windows 10. 🤓 (If you’re reading this...

In this second part of our two-part series this week of ProductivityCast, we look at the ideas behind the book by one of our regular contributors, Francis Wade. Perfect Time-Based Productivity (2nd Ed.) is for the person who has already begun their productivity journey. It focuses mostly on task management and we talk about the ways we can gain greater insight into the way each person manages his/...