Introducing Fast Company’s Creative Conversation podcast

What's Ruining Your Sleep?: In this first episode of Secrets of the Most Productive People, senior editor Kate Davis and Editorial Assistant Anisa Purbasari Horton dive into what's ruining their sleep (anxious mind and toddler, respectively) and then are joined by expert Gary Zammit, Executive Director of the Sleep Disorders Institute who offers some solutions. by The New Way We Work

24 min listen

How Can You Focus In An Open Office?: In this episode, senior editor Kate Davis and editorial assistant Anisa Purbasari Horton talk about their struggles with working in an open-office, and the workarounds that work for them. by The New Way We Work

16 min listen

Welcome to the Secrets of the Most Productive People podcast!: Join Fast Company editors Kate Davis and Anisa Purbasari-Horton as they try to figure out how to get it all done. In this bi-weekly podcast they’ll sort out fact from fiction on things like multi-tasking, sleep, and email and get expert advice on how to work smarter instead of harder. by The New Way We Work

2 min listen

How do you make a to-do list that works?: When it comes to one of productivity's most basic elements, the to-do list, everyone has their own approach. So in this episode of "Secrets of the Most Productive People" we talked to the creator of the popular bullet journal about how to figure out what system works for you. by The New Way We Work

29 min listen

How Can We Feel Less Busy?: Telling someone you're "busy" is a surefire way to shut down the conversation. This is how you can change the way you look at your time and your life. by The New Way We Work

27 min listen

Are Some Times Of Day Better to Work Than Others?: Some of us are not just that productive in the morning and forcing us to concentrate at a 9 a.m. meeting is a recipe for a wasted day. Fortunately, there are ways to get around this dilemma if you don't have complete control of your schedule. by The New Way We Work

27 min listen

How to avoid the biggest resume mistakes: This season of Secrets of the Most Productive People dives deep into all things career-related, starting with the most basic tool to get your foot in the door: your resume. What are some resume mistakes you should stay away from? Are there common advice you’ve unknowingly follow that hiring managers and recruiters actually hate? The cohosts answer listener questions about resumes and Kate challenges her boss to debate common resume advice. by The New Way We Work

24 min listen

Four Day Work Week: Impossible Dream or Plausible Plan?: Shorter workweeks can improve productivity and boost morale. But while a 3-day weekend sounds great, American work culture and expectations aren't there yet. We talk to CEO and founder of FlexJobs, Sara Sutton, about the pros and cons of a 4 day workweek. by The New Way We Work

29 min listen

Is It Possible to Multitask?: You probably spend many of your working hours multitasking--whether you realize it or not. Does working with multiple tabs open (guilty) or eating your lunch in front of your screen (guilty again!) really cause your productivity to suffer? by The New Way We Work

26 min listen

How Can We Make and Break Habits?: When it comes to making or breaking habits–there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Learn what some habit-building strategies might be, along with why certain personality types don’t do well with accountability partners. by The New Way We Work

28 min listen

Is Striving for Inbox Zero Worth It?: There are two types of people in the world: those who have hundreds or even thousands of unread emails, and those who break out in hives just thinking about that first group. by The New Way We Work

25 min listen

How can we disconnect and manage digital distraction?: In today's modern environment, it's impractical to live a completely digital-free life. But as Newport points out, you can keep your smartphone and stay sane at the same time. The key is to practice digital minimalism, and spend your online time "on a small number of carefully selected activities that strongly support things you value, and then happily miss out on everything else." by The New Way We Work

29 min listen

Can You Really Unplug on Vacation?: Taking a vacation is not a given in our work culture and if you do, it's likely that you'll check a few work emails here and there. But not taking the time to disconnect can actually make you less productive. by The New Way We Work

27 min listen

The Morning Routines of the Most Successful People: There’s a reason why so many successful people are intentional about how they start their day. On the final episode of season 2 of Secrets of the Most Productive People, the cohosts talk to Benjamin Spall–coauthor of My Morning Routine: How Successful People Start Every Day Inspired–about what successful people have in common when it comes to how they spend their mornings. What is ideal for one person might not work for another, but the one thing that sets many successful people apart is that they use that time to take control of their day, rather than letting the day control them. by The New Way We Work

28 min listen

How Can You Keep Your New Year's Resolutions?: So many of us (close to half of all Americans) make New Year's resolutions. The bad news is that just 8% of us will actually keep them all year. by The New Way We Work

31 min listen

Is Work-Life Balance Possible?: In our always-connected universe, achieving work-life balance can seem impossible. In this final episode of season one, Tiffany Dufu insists that to feel at peace, we need to learn to let go of our high expectations, and forgive ourselves from falling short from time to time. by The New Way We Work

27 min listen

Myths About Introverts and Extroverts: There are many misconceptions about introverts and extroverts--introverts are shy, extroverts are not. The reality is that shyness has nothing to do with introversion or extraversion. Whether you're one or the other depends on how you draw your energy source. Do you recharge by being alone, or would you prefer to be surrounded with people? This week, Kate Davis and Anisa Purbasari Horton spoke to bestselling author and award-winning speaker Susan Cain about how to determine whether you're one or the other, why a lot of people fall somewhere in-between, and why the workplace is often designed in favor of extroverts. by The New Way We Work

30 min listen

Productivity Confidential: How to keep your business together when your employees are everywhere: (Presented by Citrix) If you check emails by phone on-the-go or work from home occasionally, you’re part of the remote workforce. Cutting-edge technology and a new generation of entrepreneurs and managers are transforming the concept of the 9 to 5. In today’s always-on work culture, employees who want flexibility in their schedule, location, and commute are finding more ways to work how, when and where they want than ever before. On this episode of the Productivity Confidential podcast, we sat down with Sara Sutton, CEO and founder of FlexJobs, to talk about the challenges and opportunities of building a remote-first office, why she's a telecommuting evangelist, and how to get your office to embrace the future of work. by The New Way We Work

20 min listen

How to Train Your Brain to be More Resilient to Failure: Fast Company deputy editor Kate Davis and assistant editor Anisa Purbasari Horton speaks to Intern Queen CEO and founder Lauren Berger about seeing failure as part of the journey to success. by The New Way We Work

28 min listen

What Should You Expect in Season Two?: New Episodes of Secrets of the Most Productive People start January 2nd with "How Can You Keep Your New Year's Resolutions?" Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. by The New Way We Work

3 min listen

How Can We Improve Our Willpower?: Researchers have long debated whether or not our willpower and decision-making capacity is finite. One thing is clear, though–not all decisions are created equal–and some will require more brain juice than others. Decision-making expert Sheena Iyengar joins Kate and Anisa to tell us about how we can train ourselves and structure our lives to to make better decisions. by The New Way We Work

26 min listen

Is writing a cover letter worth it?: No one likes writing them, and recruiters just skim them. Is it finally time for cover letters to die? Not so fast. On this episode, cohosts Kate and Anisa share why this tool is still crucial in a job search. They talk to Jamie Hichens, a senior talent acquisition programs manager at Glassdoor. She reviews hundreds of cover letters a month, so she knows all the best practices and mistakes to avoid. If you don't know where to start, here are three tips to write a compelling cover letter: 1. Address it to the right person. 2. Give the hiring manager a reason to keep reading. 3. Includes specific examples. And new this season, the cohosts are answering your questions: What's the career question that Google can't help you out with? In the next few episodes we'll be tackling how to answer the most common interview questions, how to negotiate your starting salary, and more. Leave a voicemail with your question at (201) 371-3278, and your question by The New Way We Work

15 min listen

Productivity Myths Busted! - Live from the Fast Company Innovation Festival: Are morning people more productive than night owls? Do successful people have to give up work-life balance? Psychologist Scott Barry Kaufman and time management expert Laura Vanderkam busted some of the biggest productivity myths at the Fast Company Innovation Festival. by The New Way We Work

40 min listen

How to Get More Sleep by The New Way We Work

33 min listen

Is Mind Over Matter a Real Thing?: We spend most of our lives “in our heads,” processing the world and other people though our own beliefs and biases. Yet, most of us understand very little about how our brains really work, and what they are actually capable of. On this week’s episode of Secrets of the Most Productive People, We spoke to Tara Swart to understand exactly what our brains are capable of and how to build new neuro-pathways in our brain. by The New Way We Work

27 min listen

Productivity Confidential: RIP Cubicle—Inside The Innovative New Office Designs That Will Change The Way We Work: (Presented by Citrix) For decades, the image of the American office was a grim one. Endless rows of cubicles; harsh, humming, fluorescent lighting; stiff task chairs that make your back ache just looking at them. Recently, though, there’s been a shift, with employers injecting best practices from the wellness industry into the workplace and seeing productivity skyrocket. Rachel Gutter, president of the International WELL Building Institute, has made it her mission to make wellness a central component of any office. Think of IWBI as a LEED rating for wellness, with buildings and offices awarded designations based on how they integrate employee wellness into the workplace. On this episode of Productivity Confidential, we sat down with Gutter to talk about why focusing on wellness can be the key to unlocking a company’s potential. by The New Way We Work

22 min listen

What should your online presence say about you?: Not so long ago, most people didn’t have to worry about their online presence or personal brand. Unless you were a celebrity, politician, or prominent CEO or entrepreneur in a public-facing company, doing well in your career involved doing good work and making in-person connections. Applying for a job meant mailing (or physically dropping) off your résumé and cover letter. Social media changed all that. As we’ve discovered in this week’s episode of Secrets of the Most Productive People podcast, marketing strategist and Duke University professor Dorie Clark recounted a story of when a client almost didn’t hire someone because they couldn’t find any information about the candidate online. At minimum, employers expect an updated LinkedIn profile. The more content you can create (such as a blog post), the better. Here are three things you should consider when you’re auditing your online presence: 1. Keep everything as up-to-date as possib by The New Way We Work

26 min listen

Work Smarter: How to stay productive while working for yourself by The New Way We Work

24 min listen

How to follow up after a job interview without being annoying: For many people the entire job interview process can feel like blind dating: Do you like them? Do they like you? Is there a future? And just like with dating, even if that first meeting went well, it's totally possible to screw it up if you follow up in the wrong way. With job interviews there's a well-known way to make a good impression: send a thank you note, and a sure-fire way to sour a good thing: annoy the hiring manager by checking in too frequently or too aggressively. But there is still a lot in the process that can be confusing: What exactly should your thank you note say? How long should you wait before checking in? What if you get another job offer? by The New Way We Work

20 min listen

Productivity Confidential: Wellness @ Work—How New Programs And Platforms Are Helping Us Feel and Work Better: (Presented by Citrix) When Nicole Wolfe, director of partnerships at ClassPass, first started her career, wellness was defined by numbers. There were weight loss goals, daily step counts, weekly activity goals. But wellness has undergone a sea change in the last decade, with both people and firms understanding that health goes way beyond counting calories and building up a sweat. On this episode of Productivity Confidential, we talk with Wolfe about the transforming wellness landscape, and how companies are beginning to understand that healthy, happy teams are productive teams. by The New Way We Work

20 min listen

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Introducing Fast Company’s Creative Conversation podcast

Introducing Fast Company’s Creative Conversation podcast

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