The Peaceful Productivity Podcast

In this episode, I explore the aversion to boredom.  Nobody wants to be bored.  Boredom feels uncomfortable at best, and like unproductive and empty at worst.  No wonder we avoid it at all costs.  However... When we take a closer look at the costs of avoiding boredom, we see that the avoidance is actually one of the biggest time wasters.    And so we're telling ourselves a bit of a lie...  we...

Why are we so bad at estimating our time? It turns out that it's not just me.  Or you.  We all share a tendency to underestimate how much time something is going to take...  It's called the planning fallacy. The planning fallacy can be very helpful to understand because understanding it can help us to have more compassion for ourselves when measuring our progress.  It can also help us to...

What do you think about the feeling of anger? What do you think about YOURSELF when you feel angry? Intellectually, we understand that the feeling of  anger can be very useful.  And like all of our feelings, it can communicate some very valuable information from our inner guidance system.  But that first requires us to listen.  And yet, in the moment,  when we feel angry, or when we observe someon...

If you've ever been tasked with organizing a group towards the achievement of a common goal, you've likely asked yourself, 'how do I motivate this group'? In today's episode we are talking about motivation... Both extrinsic motivation and intrinsic motivation.    Extrinsically, those things external to us  that are motivational, such as rewards and threats, and intrinsical...

In today's episode I explore stored emotions.  If you are anything like me, you may have celebrated your ability to keep a calm head during a crisis. You are used to taking care of everyone else and all of the things. You are likely recognized as a problem-solver who gets things done.    The ability to park emotions temporarily to get the job done can be very useful. However, as a habit, it c...

This month in the Peaceful Productivity Community we have been talking about increasing our ability to focus.   At the beginning of the month, we revisited Chris Bailey's Ted Talk, "How to Get Your Brain to Focus".    It is a great presentation on the subject of distractions! It sparked a lot of conversation about how we react to interruptions and how we might even be distracting ou...

I often get asked to share tips on overcoming resistance and procrastination.   The most interesting thing about resistance is that it is... to be expected. Everyone experiences it. It doesn't mean anything about you, or your work ethic. And it doesn't HAVE TO lead to procrastination. If you are ever stuck in resistance, check out this episode for an effective method to move through resi...

When we are stuck in perfectionism we are effectively building a 'tower' of over-preparation.   Over time, this tower becomes less about accomplishment and more about defending ourselves against criticism.   Criticism from others, sure, but really, we are defending ourselves from our own inner critic.   We hold ourselves to impossibly high standards and then 'get caught up' in...

I was recently thinking about how it felt to work on a team where the vision was really clear...  How everyone on the team was able to sync their work and all move in the same direction.   Contrast that with those situations where the vision wasn't clear.  Under those circumstances we all seemed to be going in different directions with very little indication of whether or not we were making a...

One of my favourite books related to peaceful productivity is "Flow", by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. In the book, he describes the flow state...  That 'state of being' in which we are completely immersed in the task at hand.   Time seems to lose all meaning.   A state in which we are fully present in the moment and completely lacking self-consciousness. For me, when I get into thi...

This episode was designed for those people who are not taking the action that they want to be taking. If you find yourself distracted by an inner 'debate' over next steps... Or if you are struggling to overcome procrastination... In this episode, I will offer you a 'reframe' on the definition of self-control. One that can be used to fuel your productive energy instead of leavin...

Today I welcome 3 special guests to the podcast: Angela Holmes, Cambrea Strubin, and Alison King. All 3 of my guests have taken an active role in their own self-development by engaging a coach, even when it's not easy. They are willing to dig a bit deeper. They take an active role into understanding themselves and witnessing those thoughts that might be holding them back and taking steps to c...

The Peaceful Productivity Calculator is one step beyond your typical productivity formula. For many years I was focused exclusively on time and effort as the magic formula for creating success.   Put in the hours and work hard.  'Sweat equity'.  That was my approach. Over time, I started to shift from a focus on time and effort, to creating more value.  This shift in focus was critical i...

Today we are talking about the formula for goal accomplishment. If you are anything like me, there is a part of you that wants to create more...  Create more love, peace, and freedom in your life.   Simply experiencing the reward and fulfillment that comes from the process of creating... However, there is another part of me that wants to stay safe and comfortable in the status quo.   So, when it c...

Today I am diving into some of those uncomfortable emotions that can unintentionally obscure our vision. We'll talk about the false sense of security that can come with hanging out for too long in the comfort zone. As well, I will offer some strategies that can help you create clarity when you are ready to try something new. A special bonus for those listening to the podcast before Wednesday,...

Today I welcome Monica Parkin to the podcast! Monica is accomplished in so many areas from business to hobby farming... and now a best-selling author of the book, "Overcoming Awkward:  The Introvert's Guide to Networking, Marketing, and Sales"! Monica wrote this book in only 30 days and actually inspired me to finally get around to writing that book I've always had on the back...

In this episode, I am joined by Ashley Milbury to talk about the changing face of leadership. Ashley is the Youth Programs Manager with Minerva B.C., a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing women in leadership.  Her purpose is to create spaces for people to make meaningful connections.  She cares deeply about emboldening the next generation of women leaders to find their voice and to use...

In this episode, host Kim Christiansen has made herself the 'guinea pig' in the creating enjoyment experiment.   Today she shares 4 strategies that yielded some surprising and fun results. I hope you enjoy! Show Notes: [00:32]  The serious business of responsibility and the pressure to get it right. [01:36]  An experiment in creating enjoyment and the surprising byproducts. [02:52]  When...

In this episode, host Kim Christiansen shares a perspective on perfectionism and tackles the question of how to channel our perfectionist tendencies into becoming more productive.   And more peaceful. It's interesting because perfectionism used to be celebrated.  It was the standard response to the question about our biggest weakness at the end of the job interview.   Today the reputation of...

In this episode, host Kim Christiansen shares an amusing  anecdote about moving through resistance . Back when she started coaching, she had the idea that resistance would cease to exist for her when she reached an 'enlightened' state.  Of course that's not true.  Accepting that there will be resistance has probably cut her experience of it in half, but that doesn't mean that i...

In this episode, host Kim Christiansen discusses how to optimize your 'inner navigation system'  to guide responsive, agile decision-making. She demonstrates how we can unintentionally slip into a state of rigidity or a state of reactivity, and how living in those states can lead to feelings of exhaustion and overwhelm. This podcast will share tools for moving out of those extreme states...

In this episode, host Kim Christiansen shares 3 principles of high-performing personal productivity systems.  With these principles, you can maximize the efficiency of your systems and spend less time making decisions.  If you find yourself exhausted by the volume and complexity of information coming at you, this is the podcast for you. Kim will show you how to decrease the volume and delegate the...

In this episode, host Kim Christiansen shares 4 practices to help develop your resilient thinking.   These practices include creating meaning and self-compassion in the face of adversity, validating feelings, and developing a support network.   She also offers some key questions to ask yourself when you feel yourself slipping into a fixed mindset. Show notes: [00:52]  Creating meaning out of adver...

In this episode, host Kim Christiansen shares her favourite time management tool, creating boundaries. Not only did boundaries help Kim in the recovery from burnout, but they are now an essential part of optimizing her time and accomplishing her goals. Show notes: [00:42]  What are boundaries? [02:20]   Benefits of boundaries. [04:23]  Tuning into your guidance system. [06:00]  The gap between kno...

In this episode, host Kim Christiansen follows up on the concepts shared in the previous "Preventing Burnout" episode.   If burnout is the result of habitually turning away from our needs, then self-care is developing a habit of turning towards those needs, with self-compassion. Show notes: [0:49] Self-care as the prevention for burnout. [1:40] What is self-care? [2:35] A self-care myth....