Able Business Radio: Productivity | Small Business | Evernote | Trello

In this episode we cover: 7 tips to get lasting results from a conference: Go solo Don't "punk out" and go to all the events Listen more than you speak Choose workshops that scare or excite you Take time to connect deeper with fewer people Especially people you wouldn't normally meet Brain dump on the way home Connect with Our Guests: Becca Courtice - @thehappyevercrafter Justin Steinfelder - thedilettante.org Rob Caraway - hey.robcaraway.com Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, Overcast, PocketCast or your favorite podcast player. It’s easy, you’ll get new episodes automatically, and it also helps the show gain exposure. The shownotes can be found at zacharysexton.com/33

Lesley Pyle is the founder and owner of HireMyMom.com, a website connecting entrepreneurs with virtual, talented help. She began her work-at-home journey in 1995 with the launch of her first website HBWM.com - Home-Based Working Moms. In this episode we cover: Job posting tips Benefits of hiring remote Benefits of hiring domestic Tools and resources to make remote work easy Resources mentioned: Like, Love and Follow: The Entreprenista's Guide to Social Media OneNote Hootsuite Connect with Lesley: Twitter: @hiremymom Facebook: @hiremymom Instagram: @hiremymom Pinterest: @hiremymom Website: hiremymom.com Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, Overcast, PocketCast or your favorite podcast player. It’s easy, you’ll get new episodes automatically, and it also helps the show gain exposure. The shownotes can be found at zacharysexton.com/32

Top Ten Evernote A ha's Use the desktop app. Use the desktop app for organizing Use the phone app for capturing or finding Forward email directly to your Evernote (especially for taxes) Configure the Sidebar to maximize data navigation Use “Multiple Select” to create a Table of Contents multiple select video Use Stacks to declutter your “Digital Desk” Organize Evernote Stacks with PARA. https://zacharysexton.com/knowledgemanagement/ Zack's Evernote PARA video Change default notebook to .inbox. Use Contol + ⌘ + M to quickly move notes Use Note Links Continually improve notes through progressive summarization. Links and resources mention: Stacey's Top Evernote A-Ha Moments blog post Evernote: A-Ha Quick Start Guide Free Webinar: September 14 Connect with Stacey and Zack: Stacey Harmon on Twitter Zachary Sexton on Twitter Stacey Harmon's Homepage Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, Overcast, PocketCast or your favorite podcast player. It’s easy,

Is there a business idea that you've held onto for a bit too long? Maybe you've got some relationships that are holding you back from bigger things? Or perhaps there are there a few physical items that need to be taken out of your office for good? Professional Organizer Kathy Vines is here to teach us the strategies and mindset needed to overcome: purposeless practicality sunk costs fear of the future and other mental pitfalls that will get in the way of growing your business. In this episode we cover: How to strategically prune your tools. The difference between status quo and purposeful ownership. Quotables: "Escalation of commitment to a failing course of action." Links and resources mention: Getting Things Done by David Allen Mind Sweep Podcast The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People Personal Workbook Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss What Matters Most Clever Girl's Guide to Living with Less: Break Free from Your Stuff, Even When Your Head and Heart Get in the Way Cle

Zack and Kendra jam on a Facebook Live answering questions from Kendra's Rebel Challenge group. In this episode we cover: How to be productive if strict schedules make you itch. What to do when you are overcommitted. Quotables: "Don't use your calendar as a tyrant. Use it as an advisor." - Dr. Jordan B Peterson Links and resources mention: Kendra's website. Able Business Radio Episode 19  Kendra's Rebel Challenge Facebook Group -  community + weekly comfort zone challenges Full Facebook Live Conversation Zack's Twitter Clean Slate Group Coaching - start this fall with a game plan! Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, Overcast, PocketCast or your favorite podcast player. It’s easy, you’ll get new episodes automatically, and it also helps the show gain exposure. The shownotes can be found at zacharysexton.com/29  

  Have you ever been at a party, conversations are flowing, then, out of nowhere, a genius idea pops into your head?! Maybe it’s: a solution to a problem you’ve been working on the perfect gift for your sister-in-law’s upcoming birthday an email you need to send an important client If you’ve been having drinks, it’s probably a fool-proof million-dollar business idea

Have you been mulling over the idea of outsourcing your work? Hiring a virtual assistant (VA) might be a great way to free up your time at an affordable rate. Four hour work week, here we come! In this episode we cover: Why the Philippines is the most popular country for outsourcing work. How building a relationship helps you get the most out of the VA. What work has the highest ROI for virtual assistants. The #1 thing to look for when making your first hire. How being yourself is the best management style. Quotables: “For a lot of entrepreneurs- tools are shiny objects." "If you try to do things that don't match your personality, you will fail." "Tools don't matter. It's the process." “The essence of being successful is having great systems.” “The kind of work that is most effective initiatives to get done by a virtual assistant is a repeatable process.” "The best managers you will find are the people who know and get to understand themselves, particularly their strengths and weakne

Stacey Harmon is here to show us how to get our settings right so we can organize, and quickly access our entire Evernote archive in seconds. In this episode we cover: How to use Evernote to digitize and centralize your information. How to email notes to Evernote. Why getting the right settings makes it less stressful to get all of your information in order. Current Webinar Details: Webinar Date: Thursday, August 3, 2017 Webinar Time: 5:00 pm Central Time Webinar Title: The Insider Secrets for Organizing Your Life and Boosting Your Productivity with Evernote Webinar Registration Link: zacharysexton.com/learn-evernote Links and Resources mentioned: Scannable App Text Expander Skitch Download Evernote Desktop App Zack's Twitter & Stacey's Twitter Naming Conventions w/ Evernote Article Radical Productivity With Evernote Full Disclosure: I earn a commission if you click this link and make a purchase, at no additional cost to you. Keyboard shortcuts ⌘ + J to jump t

In this episode, we cover the "sins" of reading, strategies to overcome these sins, and other strategies to rev up your reading speed. Sins/Normal Human Habits of Slow Readers Daydreaming: Happens when you read slower than you think Good Daydreaming: Applying your reading (bridge of knowledge) Bad Daydreaming: Thinking about other things *The Fix* Practice Mono-focusing (Yoga, meditation, and breathing exercises) Regression: Going back over words you’ve already read Your eyes are not tracking equally from left-to-right *The Fix* Using your hands or a card while you read Place your left finger at the beginning of the line, and your right finger at the end of the line to train your peripheral vision. Sub-Vocalization: When you talk in your head Benefits: when you’re trying to savor text like poetry or trying to commit something to memory like Bible verses. However, it slows your reading down to talking speed (about 150 words per minute) Saving Reading to the End of the

In this episode we cover: The 5 (and a half) commandments of an Organized Office Time yourself (organize like a 5-year-old) 1.5 - Strike when the iron is hot!     -Organize when you are motivated     -In ABR Episode 21 - Zack and Jim Benson talk about how "Personal Kanban" can help you be prepared to maximize your motivation. Group Like with Like Break out anything with action from everything else Keep your active projects visible Create smart to-do piles Declare your office a No ________ Zone Quotables: “We can make your office more beautiful- but I’m more concerned how to make it functional." Links and resources mention: Getting Things Done by David Allen Sexy Evernote Settings w/Stacy Harmon Radical Productivity – Evernote PowerUsers Course by Stacy Harmon Tools You'll Need  Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill TheInspiredOffice.com Connect with Kacy: Kacy Paide wants to live in a world where, regardless of square footage or budget, everyone lives inside a p

Susan Lannis has been in business for over 30 years. She is a professional organizer working with highly gifted individuals to help them get their genius out to the world. In this episode we cover: Finding clarity on: What you really want. How much time you want to spend on it. How much money you need to make. Three critical areas of a business that must be managed and balanced to be successful How to narrow down your marketing strategies The keys to being successful in business without burnout. Six things every business owner should do every quarter to stay excited Quotables: “I have this odd combination of loving being responsible and loving being lazy. The only way to reconcile these two qualities in me was to figure out the simplest, fastest, easiest way to meet the responsibility so I could have the freedom of the time.” “Know what makes you different and keep making yourself different in as many ways as you can.” “Happiness is purposeful effort towards a meaningful go

Tiago Forte is a wealth of knowledge. He draws on his background in design and technology to help knowledge workers apply design thinking to day-to-day productivity challenges. In this episode, Tiago and I discuss the PARA method to organizing your reference material. In this episode we cover:  What Evernote is and why to use it instead of other note-taking apps. Evernote is a database Evernote has been around long enough to have strong, foundational capabilities. PARA File Organization Structure Projects - Any and all those things that need to get done within the next few weeks or months that require more than one action step to complete. Areas - Ongoing aspects of your life that you are committed to meeting performance standards of. Resources - Ongoing interests Archives - Any other category that is no longer active Progressive Summarization 5% of your notes are more valuable than the rest Wander and explore Every time you touch a note, improve it and make it slightly mo

Ruoyon Xu is a Social Media Strategist, Speaker and Founder of C3Nami.  Her team empowers local business owners to connect and build relationships with their audience through social media. In this episode we cover: How to create a "real" relationship with your audience and grow your business through social media C3Nami's strategy for creating successful social media campaigns. Clarity Creativity Collaboration How to choose the right social media for your goals. Quotables: "If you want to be comfortable communicating who you are online, take criticism as constructive feedback, instead of taking it personally." Links and resources mention: Daring Greatly by Brené Brown Buffer Connect with Ruoyon Xu: Twitter: @C3Nami Website: http://c3nami.com/ Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, Overcast, PocketCast or your favorite podcast player. It’s easy, you’ll get new episodes automatically, and it also helps the show gain exposure. The shownotes can be found at zacharysexton

Jim Benson shows you how to understand your work on a much deeper level. Why? So you can do the best thing at any given time. Sounds difficult, right? It's not. Jim's methodology (Personal Kanban) is highly visual — you can see at a glance what needs to get done, what you’re working on, what your priorities are, and what you’ve accomplished. Personal Kanban has two rules: Visualize your work. Limit your work in progress. These rules (and some Post-It notes) will help you understand your work. And that understanding is the key to controlling it. Listen in and enjoy! Orange = Leverage, Grey = Grow & Serve Community, Yellow = Expand Skills, Blue = Admin In this episode we cover: Why people should operate at less than 60% capacity. How to visualize your work in a way that will make prioritization easy. What is a rosy retrospective and how to avoid it. When and how to review your done pile. Quotables: "Every task is a relationship. The more things we start, the more people will interrupt us."

Mads Singers is an outsourcing specialist.  He believes that people are the single most important element of management, and is focused on helping leaders effectively get the most out of their team. In this episode we cover: What the DiSC Personality Profile is, and how it can be helpful for your team. Dominance Influence Steadiness Conscientiousness How to use DiSC to understand and communicate with your employees, peers, and customers better. Identifying DiSC personalities in others so that you can adapt accordingly. The strengths and weaknesses of the DiSC personalities. Quotables: "The way you can see what type of personality people are are in their natural behaviors." "If that is how they speak- that is how they prefer to be spoken to." "Communication is not what you say, it is what the other person hears." Links and resources mention: The DiSC Personality Test Character Compass Connect with Mads: Twitter: @madssingers LinkedIn: @madssingers Website: madssingers

Kendra is a location independent entrepreneur, who runs a 6-figure business from a Macbook pro. She's come on to share how she uses Google Calendar and the happy sh*t sandwich technique to get all of her most important work done while her creative juices are flowing. In this episode we cover: Having the "most important meeting of the week" with yourself to schedule your work and fun. Creating balance in your calendar. Micro-commitments to tackle looming tasks. How taking care of yourself allows you the freedom to be more generous. Quotables: "I want to kick ass at business and life and I don't accept most people's opinion that you need to choose one or the other." "Productivity serves not only you- but the people you really care about." Links and resources mention: The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up Deep Work  Getting Things Done The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People Calendly How to Fail at Nearly Everything and Still Win Big Weekly Planning Video Walk-Through Connect wit

Ricardo Palomares is a speaker/coach/author/explorer/filmmaker helping dreamers bet on themselves to achieve what seems impossible and become powerful, mindful leaders. Zack talks to Ricardo about taking massive, focused actions in the areas that give you the most action. In this episode we cover: Ricardo's recent project titled Pedal South- where four storytellers cycled 18,000 miles, from Alaska to Argentina, documenting the diverse cultures and landscapes along the way. Strategies for dealing with negative experiences and emotions as an individual or a team. 4 questions to Ricardo uses to find direction and focus: What is the most direct way to get where I want to go? What is the most simple was to get where I want to go? What is the fastest way to get where I want to go? What is the most sustainable way to get where I want to go? Quotables: "It doesn't really matter if you have a positive or negative thought- you have to take positive action with it." "In business and in life, the

This podcast is designed to get all the would, could, should, ought to's: out of your head off your psyche written down in black and white so you can have a visual snapshot of all your obligations. It's the first step overcommitted folks need to take to slow down and make fewer better commitments. In this episode we cover: Why a mind sweep is an important first step to personal productivity. 100+ triggers to prompt you to think about all the of your current obligations. What to do with the huge list of stuff you've written down. Links and Resources Mentioned: How Zack Reviews His Trello Board Quotables: "Does the dog need dog food? The cat need cat food? The fish need fish food?" - Zachary Sexton Connect with Zack: Twitter: @zwsexton Website: zacharysexton.com/hire-me Get Your Trigger List Success! Now check your email for your Mind Sweep Trigger List!

Courtney Carver is the author and photographer behind the website Be More With Less. In this episode we talk about how embracing minimalism helped Courtney transition from feeling overworked, overstressed, and overwhelmed to a healthier, happier version of herself. In this episode we cover: How to listen to your personal cues to process information and respond more intentionally. Step 1 - Start noticing. Step 2 - Keep noticing and respond in a way that honors the fact that you were paying attention. Creating a sustainable morning routine. What decision fatigue is and how to fight it. Quotables: "It doesn't matter where you start- especially if you know that you're in it for the long haul." "One of the reasons I'm excited to share my wake up call, is so other people might be able to avoid theirs." "Even though you don't think you've gotten a wake up call- you probably have." "Just the simple act of noticing before things get out of control can save you so much time, energy, and heartac

A few Able Business Radio listeners wrote in with concerns about privacy issues with Unroll.me. Here's what I've found: 1. If you are not the customer, you are the product. 2. They recently sold anonymous data to Uber.  3. A paid alternative is SaneBox. 4. Unroll.me disclosed the fact that they sell your meta data in the user agreement. We may share personal information we collect with our parent company, other affiliated companies, and trusted business partners. We also will share personal information with service providers that perform services on our behalf. Our non-affiliated business partners and service providers are not authorized by us to use or disclose the information except as necessary to perform services on our behalf or comply with legal requirements. Shout out to Joe Chapman and Matt Cowdroy for bringing this up. July 2017 update: Sanebox vs Unroll.me 6 differences I see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZU7DlmJHw14 zacharysexton.com/unrollme-safe