The Productivity Show

Task managers are great because they allow you to filter your available tasks and only display the ones that are appropriate right now, but the problem is there are so many to choose from. How do you know which task manager is right for you? Moving everything over from system to system to see if it's a good fit is incredibly time-consuming. Wouldn't it be great if you had someone who had tried the...

In this episode, we're joined by Ben - a good friend of Thanh's. Ben runs a very successful Artificial Intelligence company that has Fortune 100 clients and he has big corporations hire him from all over the world. Ben is based in Germany but he's rarely home because he spends more time traveling all over the world. Thanh travels a lot as well, and always finds it very challenging to be productive...

One of the best ways to improve your productivity is to get around other productive people who can help you see your blind spots and share what really works. And that's exactly what we did last November for some of our best customers when we invited them to come to Austin, TX for the Asian Efficiency mastermind. In this episode, Thanh and Mike dive deep into the Asian Efficiency perspective and ta...

In this episode, Mike is joined by Marmel Reposar, Asian Efficiency's very own scrummaster. Marmel and Mike dive deep on how we use scrum here at Asian Efficiency in order to consistently and systematically create podcast episodes, video courses for the Dojo, and everything else related to Asian Efficiency's day-to-day operation. They talk about some of the things that Marmel has learned from her...

Have you ever considered hiring an assistant to help you? Today we are talking to an expert on finding and hiring assistants, Tim Francis. Tim has hired more than one hundred assistants so he knows a thing or two about the topic. In this episode, you'll learn when you're ready for your first assistant, which traits an assistant must have, how much you should pay someone, and the exact step-by-step...

In this episode, Mike is joined by Lucas Smith, an agile trainer, coach, and scrum master for LitheWorks, LLC who has over 14 years experience in software development, delivery, management, product development, coaching, and training. Lucas is one of only 50 Professional Scrum Trainers in the United States and in addition to being a Professional Scrum Trainer (PST) with Scrum.org he also holds the...

In this episode, Mike is joined by Rudy Marsh, the founder of the Esington company and creator of the Esington Glass, a beautiful Pomodoro timer that you can use to help you overcome procrastination and take action on your goals. Rudy grew up in a multi-ethnic family in North Texas and studied physics at the University of Texas at Dallas. Rudy joins us to talk about how he created the Esington Gla...

In this episode, Brooks and Mike revisit our favorite productivity apps for the Mac with our 2018 Mac Productivity Draft. A lot has changed since last year, including many of our favorite apps switching to a subscription model (and a new service that allows you to get a bunch of them at a discount). We share some of our favorite workflows and the key apps we use every day here at Asian Efficiency....

In this episode, Mike is joined by Eric Benchimol and Richard Keijzer, two academic physicians who recently published an article titled "Living Like an Academic Athlete: How to Improve Clinical and Academic Productivity as a Gastroenterologist." The article was published in Gastroenterology, the top-ranked gastroenterology journal, and the world's #46 ranked scientific journal (according to Google...

In this episode, Mike is joined by Dave Caolo, a writer, author, and podcaster who has experience working remotely. Dave was the managing editor at The Unofficial Apple Weblog for eight years where he covered major Apple releases, reviewed software and hardware, interviewed developers, produced podcasts and video, and oversaw the site's day-to-day editorial operations. He's also a regular contribu...

In this episode, Thanh and Mike talk about how your attention determines your future and why a simple mindset shift to regain control of your attention can provide stability and direction for all areas of your life. We talk about how being careless about how you spend your attention results in a condition called "attention slavery" and share some strategies to help you escape it. If you feel overw...

In this episode, Brooks and Mike revisit the topic of email, one of our favorites here at Asian Efficiency because it's such a nuisance to your productivity and something that everyone has to deal with on a daily basis. Today, we focus on strategies and tools you can use to process the email in your inbox even faster, and give you 5 strategies you can use to get out of your inbox and start reclaim...

In this episode, Thanh and Mike talk about delegation, an important skill if you want to be productive and one area where a lot of people miss it. If you've ever tried handing off a work task but were frustrated because it took too long or wasn't done correctly, you probably made one of the 5 common mistakes that we cover in this episode. We also show you how to overcome 4 common limiting beliefs...

Today we're joined by Francesco D'Alessio, a writer, blogger, and freelance marketer who Mike discovered because of his awesome YouTube channel, Keep Productive. Francesco does a lot of video reviews for different apps and tools and he recently put together the Task Management video course which was just launched inside the Dojo. In this episode, Francesco and Mike talk about some of the important...

In this episode, Brooks and Mike talk about 5 things you need for an effective personal productivity system. They define what a personal productivity system is, talk about the advantages and disadvantages of the different approaches, and walk you through the necessary pieces you need to make sure you stay on top of everything. They also give you some implementation tips to help you make sure the s...

In this episode, Brooks and Mike talk about productivity pitfalls. Efficiency and productivity is usually a good thing, but in this episode we show you how you can get back on track when you fall victim to the 6 deadly sins of productivity. We share how to avoid the hidden dangers inherent in productivity and give you some strategies to use when it all goes wrong. We set the record straight on wha...

In this episode, Mike is joined by Nate Lowrie, a Dojo member, and owner of FineLine Automation, a company that sells CNC machinery to help people grow and build their dreams. Nate recently attended the Asian Efficiency mastermind that we held in Austin, TX, and he joins Mike today to talk about his experience as well as to dive deep into the concept of masterminds and the clarity they can provide...

In this episode, Mike is joined by Curtis McHale, a Dojo member and business owner who has been running a successful web software consulting business for 6 years and helping others do the same for the last 2. Curtis is also the creator of the Analog Productivity video module which was just published on the Dojo where he does a great job explaining how sometimes the best way to speed up is to slow...

It's a new year, which means a bunch of New Year's resolutions about how this is the year that we'll finally get in shape, get a promotion, or make that big step towards our ideal future. But oftentimes, these well-intentioned self-promises don't actually materialize. Sure, we may start off strong, but after only a few weeks we find ourselves starting to skip out on the gym and when that happens i...

In this episode, Brooks and Mike dive into the topic of energy management. We explain why energy management (and not time management) is the key to taking massive action on your goals, and explore the power of gratitude, showing you how a simple mindset shift can help you become happier AND more productive. We talk about why living your life according to the old saying that "life is a marathon" is...

There's a saying that you are where you are today because of the choices that you made yesterday. But if you don't like the results that you're getting, I have good news for you - YOU have the ability to create the positive change you want. All you need to do is tweak the system. In this episode, Brooks and Mike talk about how everything in life is the result of simple systems mechanics, share how...