How I Work

• Feel like you’re always behind? Chris Guillebeau has a fix for your time anxiety (Part 1)

  Do you ever get the sense that no matter how much you do, you’re still running out of time? Like there’s something you should be doing, but you can’t quite figure out what it is? In this episode of How I Work, we sit down with New York Times bestselling author Chris Guillebeau to talk about a feeling so many of us carry but rarely name: time anxiety. From guilt over unread emails to the pressure to leave a legacy, Chris shares the practical strategies that helped him stop chasing time - and start living with more calm and clarity. In this episode: What time anxiety is—and why so many of us feel it without even realising How Chris let go of the pressure to leave a legacy A weekly “time decluttering” ritual that can clear your calendar Why “just prioritise better” is the worst advice The bold email strategy Chris swears by (even if it ruffles a few feathers) Why leaving 10–15 minutes of buffer time between commitments can change everything Key Quotes: “You have to decide for yourself what is enough.” “It’s not about being an email ninja - it’s about understanding what matters.” Connect with Chris on Instagram, X (Twitter), and LinkedIn and his website, Listen to his podcast Side Hustle School, and check out his latest book Time Anxiety. My latest book The Health Habit is out now. You can order a copy here: https://www.amantha.com/the-health-habit/ Connect with me on the socials: Linkedin (https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanthaimber) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/amanthai) If you are looking for more tips to improve the way you work and live, I write a weekly newsletter where I share practical and simple to apply tips to improve your life. You can sign up for that at https://amantha-imber.ck.page/subscribe Visit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes. Get in touch at [email protected] Credits: Host: Amantha Imber Sound Engineer: The Podcast Butler See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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• Quick Win: How to spend less time worrying

  Worrying can take up so much of our time, especially when most of what we worry about never actually happens. This worrying uses up time that could be better spent on the things that truly count, but how can we reduce this and actually free up that time? Oliver Burkeman is a New York Times bestselling author of books such as ‘Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals’ and ‘Meditations for Mortals: Four Weeks to Embrace Your Limitations and Make Time for What Counts’. Oliver is also a regular columnist for The Guardian. Oliver shares: 🧬 The evolutionary reason we worry and why it doesn’t serve us effectively in a modern world 🤔 Why understanding why we worry is the first step to minimising the amount of time it takes up 🛠️ Some key strategies we can all use to reduce our time spent worrying Listen to the full interview with Oliver here: https://amantha.com/podcasts/want-to-make-time-for-the-things-that-count/ Connect with Oliver via his website, or get his latest book, Meditations for Mortals, here My latest book The Health Habit is out now. You can order a copy here: https://www.amantha.com/the-health-habit/ Connect with me on the socials: Linkedin (https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanthaimber) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/amanthai) If you are looking for more tips to improve the way you work and live, I write a weekly newsletter where I share practical and simple to apply tips to improve your life. You can sign up for that at https://amantha-imber.ck.page/subscribe Visit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes. Get in touch at [email protected] Credits: Host: Amantha Imber Sound Engineer: The Podcast ButlerSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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• The productivity myth I had to unlearn

  If your to-do list is full but your energy is gone, this episode is for you. In this special crossover episode from the This Is Work podcast, I sat down with Shelley Johnson to talk about energy, deep work, and why true productivity has more to do with cold water and Kindles than hustle and hacks. I also share what’s working (and what’s not) as I write my fifth book on burnout and depletion, including the habits I’ve doubled down on, and the ones I’ve thrown out. In this episode Shelley and I talk about: The counterintuitive productivity hack I use daily How I re-work book concepts while walking and talking to ChatGPT The “hall pass” rule that makes new habits actually stick Why minimum effort often leads to maximum energy Key Quotes: “So much advice out there is completely unattainable. I’m interested in what gives us energy that’s actually doable for real people.” “It’s not about doing more. It’s about being smart with the time and energy we do have.” “If we don’t track where our time is going, we’ll keep spending our energy on the wrong things.” “Just splashing cold water on your face can be enough to reset. You don’t need to jump into an ice bath.” Connect with Shelley via LinkedIn, or through Boldside’s Instagram and website. For more conversations on meaningful work, sustainable success, and showing up as your best self – check out Shelley’s podcast this is work. My latest book The Health Habit is out now. You can order a copy here: https://www.amantha.com/the-health-habit/ Connect with me on the socials: Linkedin (https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanthaimber) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/amanthai) If you are looking for more tips to improve the way you work and live, I write a weekly newsletter where I share practical and simple to apply tips to improve your life. You can sign up for that at https://amantha-imber.ck.page/subscribe Visit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes. Get in touch at [email protected] Credits: Host: Amantha Imber Sound Engineer: Martin Imber See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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• Quick Win: How break out of the email cycle trap

  Do you find yourself set up for a productive day, only to be derailed by your emails? Checking and replying to emails can eat up so much time - and what’s worse is that the false sense of productivity checking email provides can be very addictive. The problem of spending way too much time in my inbox has been bugging me for some time, so I was very excited to find out that Michael Bungay Stanier has had similar problems and has been working on solutions. Michael is a renowned speaker, teacher and author whose books have sold over 1.5 million copies. In fact, his best known book, The Coaching Habit, topped the Wall Street Journal bestseller list with Brenè Brown calling it “a classic”. He was named #1 Thought Leader in Coaching by Thinkers50, and has been featured in top publications like Harvard Business Review, Forbes, and Fast Company. Michael is clearly very busy and can’t afford to waste time on emails, yet he still finds himself procrastinating with them. But he has a lot of strategies and tricks that we might be able to use. Michael shares: Why we get stuck in the cycle of emails even when we know we shouldn’t The techniques and programs we can use to reduce email use Why you might need to use incentives and consequences to enforce your email reduction strategies. Listen to the full interview here. Connect with Michael via his website, Instagram, LinkedIn, or buy the Do Something That Matters Journal. My latest book The Health Habit is out now. You can order a copy here: https://www.amantha.com/the-health-habit/ Connect with me on the socials: Linkedin (https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanthaimber) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/amanthai) If you are looking for more tips to improve the way you work and live, I write a weekly newsletter where I share practical and simple to apply tips to improve your life. You can sign up for that at https://amantha-imber.ck.page/subscribe Visit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes. Get in touch at [email protected] Credits: Host: Amantha Imber Sound Engineer: The Podcast ButlerSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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• Unlock your phone's hidden superpowers: Eight game-changing features you're not using

  Your phone isn't just a device – it's a Swiss Army knife of untapped potential sitting in your pocket. In this episode, we dive deep into the secret capabilities your smartphone has been hiding from you, transforming how you'll use technology forever. From instantly identifying any plant on your daily walk to scheduling texts that make you look professionally put-together (even when you're not), these features aren't just clever tricks – they're life-changing hacks the tech companies never bothered to tell you about. In this episode, you'll discover: How to create custom keyboard shortcuts that will save you hours of typing each month The hidden camera feature that can identify any plant, animal or object with a single tap Why your expensive white noise machine is now redundant – and how to access soothing sounds for free The game-changing way to schedule texts to send at appropriate times (perfect for midnight inspiration) How greyscale mode can dramatically reduce your screen addiction without willpower The built-in optical character recognition that instantly digitises any text you point your camera at A native call recording solution that doesn't require dodgy third-party apps The automatic transcription tool that converts voice to text with surprising accuracy Whether you're a productivity obsessive or just want to squeeze more value from your expensive device, these tips will revolutionise your relationship with the technology you use every day. *** My latest book The Health Habit is out now. You can order a copy here: https://www.amantha.com/the-health-habit/ Connect with me on the socials: Linkedin (https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanthaimber) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/amanthai) If you are looking for more tips to improve the way you work and live, I write a weekly newsletter where I share practical and simple to apply tips to improve your life. You can sign up for that at https://amantha-imber.ck.page/subscribe Visit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes. Get in touch at [email protected] Credits: Host: Amantha Imber Sound Engineer: Martin ImberSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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