Start with Small Steps

113 - Get in the Right Gear Do you ever feel like there’s never enough time in the day to get everything done? The book 5 Gears - How to be Present and Productive When There is Never Enough Time by Jeremie Kubicek and Steve Cockram has got you covered! This insightful read dives into the importance of being in the right “gear” for different activities. From focus mode to rest mode, this book cover...

112 - Awkward Awesomeness If you’re looking for a book that will help you turn your social awkwardness into an awesome asset, then “The Science of Why We’re Socially Awkward and Why That’s Awesome” by Ty Tashiro, PhD is the perfect read for you. This book takes a fresh approach to the topic of social awkwardness by highlighting its positive aspects, such as the ability to pay close attention to de...

111 - Use the BICAT System to Think Better Get ready to sharpen your decision-making skills with the book “How to Think Like a Lawyer and Why” by Kim Wehle! In this podcast, we break down the five-step framework for making good decisions and how it can be applied to everyday situations like buying a house or choosing a job. We’ll explore the importance of identifying biases and arguing against our...

110 - How Lawyers Think and Decide I delve into the world of legal analysis and decision-making by reviewing the book by Kim Wehle, “How to Think Like a Lawyer and Why” as we explore the nuanced and analytical approach lawyers take to problem-solving. Discover how you too can apply these methods to everyday dilemmas and make better decisions. In the second half of the episode, we’ll dive deeper in...

109 - Serotonin, Cortisol, and Dopamine We delve into the fascinating world of brain chemistry and hormones! Discover how the levels of serotonin, cortisol, and dopamine in our brains can have a huge impact on our mood, stress levels, and even our sleep and bone density. We’ll explore the addictive power of dopamine and how low serotonin levels can leave us feeling tired and unmotivated. Plus, I’l...

108 – Lose a job? Don’t Panic! Are you feeling down after losing your job? Don’t panic! In “Overcoming Redundancy” by Gordon Adams, you’ll find valuable advice on how to bounce back and take charge of your career. From networking to identifying your values and career anchors, this book offers a roadmap to success. But that’s not all! The author also suggests taking the opportunity to learn new ski...

107 - The 1-Page Marketing Strategy I review “The 1 Page Marketing Strategy” and I have to say, it’s a game-changer for small businesses. The author stresses the importance of identifying a specific target audience and crafting a clear message, which has already helped me focus my marketing efforts. Plus, the book offers practical advice on lead capture, nurturing, sales conversion, and customer e...

106 – The Culture of Fortitude and the Self In this episode, I dive deep into exploring the various cultural attitudes toward personal strength and fortitude. I chat about some cultural concepts such as sisu, fiero, angelic patience, novaturient, and more! I encourage you to tune in and think about which attitude resonates with you the most and how it can help you during tough times and in improvi...

105 - Best Advice of the Last Year I’m excited to share with you the best advice from the past year of my podcast on our second anniversary! I’ve gathered all the top tips and insights that I know will help you in your personal and professional life. Let’s dive in! https://startwithsmallsteps.com/?p=3316 Jill’s Links https://www.buymeacoffee.com/startwithsmallsteps Twitter startwithsmallsteps Emai...

1 - Why Small Steps are Important I was deeply moved by the Queen’s 2019 Christmas speech - it ignited a spark within me and set me on a path that I will be forever grateful for. Her calm demeanor, wise words, and infectious sense of humor left a lasting impression on me. That’s why I’ve decided to share this episode again, in honor of her memory. As I listened to the speech, I was struck by the p...

104 - Get Good Info with CRAAP or TAARP I share with you a really helpful method for ensuring that the data you collect is trustworthy and reliable. It's called the TARP/CRAP method (I know, not the most glamorous name!), and it involves evaluating the timeliness, authority, accuracy, relevance, and purpose of the data. I've found it to be a super effective way to make sure that the information I'...

103 - How to Curate I talk about something that I'm really passionate about - curating data. It's something that's so important in today's world, where there's so much information available to us. But it's not just about collecting data - it's about doing it effectively, and making sure that the data we have is of high quality, comes from multiple sources, and is properly attributed. I've been cur...

102 - Learn and Earn and Keep Going I’m excited to share with you some insights from the book Making of the Modern Elder by Chip Conley. The topic was all about the importance of constantly learning and evolving in the modern work world. He suggests that fostering collaboration and being open to new ideas is key, no matter how experienced you are. By embracing a beginner’s mindset and learning fro...

101- Can Generations of Workers Get Along? Have you ever wondered how different generations can work together in a company? Well, I review the book called The Modern Elder by Chip Conley and he had some great insights on this topic. He talks about the importance of respecting each other’s strengths and weaknesses and learning from one another. I talk about how we can all contribute to a company, r...

100- Be Childlike and See the World in a New way I share my thoughts on a book “Escape Adulthood” by Jason Kotecki. It really spoke to me about the importance of recapturing our childlike essence and finding joy in life, no matter our age. One of the key takeaways I got from the book was the idea of breaking down our dreams into specific goals and steps. This really helps in making our aspirations...

99 - The Unconscious Brain and Creativity I review the book “Creativity: A Short and Cheerful Guide” by John Cleese, and I have to say, it really got me thinking about the role of the unconscious mind in creativity. Cleese makes a great point that creativity isn’t just limited to the arts, and that our unconscious mind can be a powerful tool for problem-solving and generating new ideas. I found hi...

In this episode, I dive into Oliver Burkeman's book "Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals" and explore some powerful ways to break free from productivity traps and focus on what truly matters. Burkeman has some great advice, like limiting task lists to just a few items, focusing on one thing at a time, and even embracing boring technology. But one of my favorite takeaways is the idea o...

97 – Abandon the Time Trap by focusing on your Purpose I review Oliver Burkeman’s book “Four Thousand Weeks” and it completely changed my perspective on time and productivity. Rather than constantly trying to do more and falling into the “time trap,” Burkeman suggests focusing on our purpose and embracing radical incrementalism. This means breaking tasks down into smaller steps and prioritizing wh...

96 - Our Damaging Concept of Time I review book called "4,000 Weeks, Time Management for Mortals" by Oliver Burkeman. It changed my perspective on time management and the pressure we put on ourselves to constantly be productive. Burkeman challenges the traditional concept of time management and argues that it's impossible to ever feel like we're doing enough. The problem lies in our attitude towar...

95 – 95 - Ending the Lies In this episode, I dive deep into the different types of lies we often tell ourselves. From outright lies to white lies and lies of omission, I explore how these untruths can damage our credibility and hinder our progress toward our goals. But don’t worry, I also offer some valuable advice on how to stop lying to ourselves. By being honest with ourselves, taking small ste...

94 - The Lies We Tell Ourselves In this episode, I delve into the topic of lying to oneself. I share my personal experiences with this damaging habit and offer insights into common lies that we tell ourselves, like “I’m not good enough” or “I can’t do it.” It’s essential to recognize and confront these lies if we want to achieve our goals and live fulfilling lives. Join me as I explore how we can...

93 - Make Everyone Happier at Work The book "People Styles at Work and Beyond" and opened my eyes to the importance of understanding different personality types in the workplace. The book identifies four main types - analytical, driver, amiable, and expressive - each with their own strengths and weaknesses. I learned that by observing and practicing how to adapt to different styles, we can improve...

92 - Identify Your Work Style In this episode, I dive into the topic of work styles and how they impact relationships in the workplace. The “book People Styles at Work and Beyond" by Robert Bolton and Dorothy Grover Bolton categorizes work styles into four quadrants: analytical, driver, amiable, and expressive. It was so interesting to learn about each style and its characteristics. Understanding...

91 - Thrive in the Seasons of Life Today, I talk about how life is like the changing of the seasons. Just like the weather, life is full of ups and downs, and we need to learn how to adapt to each season. I want to encourage you to embrace the lessons and opportunities of each season, whether it’s a time for learning, growth, reaping benefits, or reflection. It’s important to plan appropriately fo...

  90 - Maximize Your Choices and Be Satisfied I discuss the concept of maximizers and satisficers, people who seek the best of everything versus those who are content with good enough. Dr. Barry Schwartz's book, The Paradox of Choice, explores this topic and finds that maximizers tend to be less happy and more anxious than satisficers. I share my own experiences and offer advice for both types of...