The Productivity Balance: Recent Episodes
Casey Nash
The Productivity Balance Podcast was created to help you take control of your life by creating a productivity system that feels aligned for you.Every week I'll be bringing you tips, tricks, systems, strategies and resources to help you find the systems that work well for you so you can reach your goals with less burnout and overwhelm - with some time left over for that Netflix marathon.
After a lot of thought, I’ve decided it’s time for me to end the podcast (at least for now.)
Why? Because I need to follow my own advice! I go into detail in this episode as to why I’m doing this, how I came to this decision and what it means for my productivity.
If you want to continue hanging out with me, you can do so at…
Southern Voice Studio
Casey Ashlynn
Southern Voice Studio
Casey Ashlynn
The theory is that some of us are dreamers and some of us are doers. Each have their strengths and weaknesses - and knowing which one you are will help you focus on your strengths.
If you’re interested in this topic, I highly recommend jumping into Mel Robbins’ course at https://www.melrobbins.com/takecontrol
This week’s episode was brought to you by Sunsama. Sign up for your 14-day free trial at https://try.sunsama.com/balance.
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Visit the Website
www.productivitybalance.com
This week’s episode was brought to you by Sunsama. Sign up for your 14-day free trial at https://try.sunsama.com/balance.
Follow me on socials!
A life audit is one of my favourite things to do when things don’t feel quite right.
In this episode, I take you through my step-by-step process of working out what you want from your life and how you can go about achieving it.
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www.productivitybalance.com
If you are a bit of a gamer - or you just want productivity to be a bit more fun - it might be worth gamifying your life.
Gamification is all about making a game out of whatever needs to be done. Of course, you can do it your way, but I have some suggestions to help you get started.
Some links to check out if you want more help:
Habitica
CO-x3 Gamification Notion Template
Level Up Your Life Book & Web App
This week’s episode was brought to you by Sunsama. Sign up for your 14-day free trial at https://try.sunsama.com/balance.
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www.productivitybalance.com
We all try to avoid it, but let’s face it - we’ve all been there. If you’re a university or high school student, essay writing is a big part of your work. And it’s entirely possible that those deadlines approach way faster than you expect.
So, here’s my essay writing method. The exact method I used to write distinction essays in a single night beca when I was in university.
And here’s the episode on the Pomodoro technique if you’d like to learn more.
This week’s episode was brought to you by Sunsama. Sign up for your 14-day free trial at https://try.sunsama.com/balance.
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Visit the Website
www.productivitybalance.com
This week’s episode was brought to you by Sunsama. Sign up for your 14-day free trial at https://try.sunsama.com/balance.
Is work-life balance something we can actually achieve, or is it just a myth? In this episode, we explore the concept of. work-life balance and how it might be possible to achieve such a thing when we spend so much of our time working.
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www.productivitybalance.com
This week’s episode was brought to you by Sunsama. Sign up for your 14-day free trial at https://try.sunsama.com/balance.
How well do you keep up with your reminders? Do you do them straight away, or do you put them off endlessly? (Or, do you not have any reminders at all?)
Here’s my personal favourite method for dealing with those odd tasks that so many of us forget.
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Sometimes we need a little reminder that it’s okay to rest. In fact, resting can actually make you more productive! In this episode, we discuss why that is, and offer some ideas on how you can make the most of your rest time.
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Calling all my fellow perfectionists! Do you find that your perfectionism holds you back from achieving things?
I’ve been there - it’s why I’ve considered myself a ‘recovering perfectionist’ for a number of years now. Here’s some of my favourite tips, tricks and pieces of advice to help you move past your perfectionism and finish that project.
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Do you avoid your appointments until you have a massive list of things you need to book?
You’re not alone. Here are some strategies to help you keep on top of them.
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www.productivitybalance.com
Ever felt like something changed and all of a sudden your entire productivity system is in complete shambles?
I certainly have - as recently as this week! So I thought I’d share some of my tips for getting your productivity system back on track.
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Personally, I can’t think of anything worse than going through the motions of boring, repetitive tasks without developing a way to make them more enjoyable.
In this episode, I’m talking you through the different methods I use to make boring tasks a whole lot more fun!
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This week's episode is all about motivation - and what to do if you can't seem to find any.
Do you know where your time is actually going?
I thought I did, but recently I did an exercise that showed I was wrong! Even better, after learning about where my time was going, I’ve been able to develop some simple methods to help me get the most out of the time I have.
In this episode, I take you through my experiment - and what I’ve done since to boost my productivity.
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www.productivitybalance.com
Did you know you can set your phone up so that it only allows certain notifications (of your choosing) to come through while you’re working?
Yep, it’s an absolute game-changer for those of us who just can’t help but reach for our phones whenever it goes off.
Here’s the instructions on how to set it up:
Apple
Android
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www.productivitybalance.com
Time blocking is a popular productivity method that (supposedly) helps you get much more done in a short amount of time - but what is it, and how can we use it?
In this episode, I talk you through how I use time blocking and share my best tips to help you get the most out of it.
The app mentioned in this episode is Structured and is available on iOS and Mac.
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www.productivitybalance.com
Did you know that there are several really amazing apps designed to help you keep track of your to-dos.
In fact, there are so many that an App Store search can be completely overwhelming, so let me help you out!
I’ve compiled a list of 5 incredible apps that I absolutely love for keeping track of to-dos.
And of course, there are some links for you! Here’s my faves…
ToDoist(Apple, Android, Desktop, Watch and Browser)
Microsoft To-Do (Apple and Android)
Apple Link
Android Link
Habitica(Apple and Android)
Do It(Apple)
Any.do(Apple and Android)
Bonus: MinimaList(Apple and Android)
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www.productivitybalance.com
New Year’s Resolutions - are they actually worth putting in the time and energy?
I feel like this topic comes up every year, so I decided to do some digging and see what I could find… and was quite surprised by some of the statistics!
In this episode, I take you through all things New Year’s Resolution - including the statistics of success, the common reasons people don’t complete their resolution and the things you can do to help you reach your goal.
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www.productivitybalance.com
If you’ve been wondering how I’ve been staying productive through the holidays, here’s your answer.
But be warned - it might not exactly be the answer you’ve been looking for…
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www.productivitybalance.com
Ever been asked what you want out of your life?
It can be a big, heavy question - but it’s also well worth answering.
In this episode, I’m going to help you understand why having a big vision is useful, and take you through some prompts you can think about to help you find yours.
The Prompts
What do you not want out of your life?
List out the things you do want from your life
Write out your perfect day
If you won the lottery and never had to worry about earning money again, what would you do with your life?
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SMART goals are a very popular goal setting framework designed to help people achieve their goals - but I find they don't help me much. In this episode, I’m going to take you through why I’ve found SMART goals to be a bit of a problem for me, and the alternatives I’m now using to set and reach my goals.
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www.productivitybalance.com
Ever wondered how your emotional energy can affect your productivity? Well, Louise from The Balanced Biz Mum certainly has, and she’s here to tell us all about it.
In this episode, Louise helps us to understand just how your emotional energy can have an effect - as well as how we can manipulate our emotional energy and use it to our advantage.
Find Louise on Social Media
https://www.facebook.com/TheBalancedBizMum
https://www.instagram.com/thebalancedbizmum
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This week we’re talking about your physical space. It doesn’t matter where you work, but your productivity will definitely increase if you’re in a space that feels good.
This Episodes Links
Episode 007: The Power of Project Management Apps
Officeworks’ Cable Management Collection
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This week I am joined by Mel, the founder of Meld Business Services. Mel spends her days empowering women who want more from their businesses to use content in a genuine way.
She’s also, as I discovered in this episode, a planning powerhouse! Mel has taken the best bits of other planning systems and pulled them together into her own unique system.
In this episode, she takes us step-by-step through that system, giving us an inside look at her process and how she goes about creating and executing her plan.
You can find Mel at the links below:
www.instagram.com/meldbusiness
www.facebook.com/meldbusiness
www.facebook.com/groups/thecontentproject
Are you looking for an app to help you keep track of all the different things you need to do? Look no further - project management apps have you covered.
In this episode of the Productivity Balance Podcast, we’re talking about one of my favourite topics - music!
Some of us absolutely love to listen to music while we work - others prefer complete silence. I find that listening to music is really helpful - but I’m also aware that the style and genre of music I’m listening to can make a massive difference to what I’m doing and how I work.
To help you find what works for you, I’ve listed all of my favourite tips and tricks to help you understand what music might work well for you, how to create your very own ‘get to work’ playlist and dropped a bunch of ideas for different playlists, artists, genres and even websites to help you find what you’re looking for.
Plus, I’ve given you access to my very own playlists!
Jump into the episode to get started, then come back here for all the different resources I’ve mentioned in this episode.
Resources
My Playlists
Apple Music
Classical/Ambient Playlist
Pop Playlist
Pop Playlist (Clean Version)
Spotify
Classical/Ambient Playlist
Pop Playlist
Pop Playlist (Clean Version)
Other Links
Ambient Mixer
I meet an incredible number of people who will follow routines or include daily practice simply because another successful person, such as Steve Jobs, does it. They seem to think that because Steve Jobs or Elon Musk does something, they should do it too - and I just don’t think that’s always the case.
To talk about why, I’ve gotten hold of daily routines from four different super successful people. We’re going to go through each routine and talk about why it might not necessarily be the best routine for you.
You can find a written version of this episode at www.productivitybalance.com/podcast/why-following-steve-jobs-routine-wont-save-you
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In this episode, we’re talking all about Pomodoro - a well-loved productivity strategy used by many people - and the Flow State, which can be a great alternative for the times when Pomodoro isn’t working for you.
For a written version of this podcast, head to www.productivitybalance.com/podcast/pomodoro-vs-the-flos-state
Resources Mentioned in the Podcast
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's TED talk about the Flow State
Plantie app (iOS only)
Flora app (iOS and Android)
Forest app (iOS and Android)
Focus Keeper app (iOS, Android and Online)
BeFocused app (iOS only)
Are you ready to shake up your to-do list?
In this episode, we’re talking about multiple different ideas and strategies you can use to get on top of your to-do list. You can use one, or several - the goal is to develop a system that works for you and has you feeling less overwhelmed or bombarded by tasks.
To read the blog post version of this episode (and actually see what the Eisenhower Matrix looks like) click here.
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In this episode, we're talking all about what productivity actually is, how I want this podcast to help you and my three main productivity beliefs.
For a written summary of the episode, check out this blog post.
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Welcome to the Productivity Balance! Here's a quick intro so that you know what I'm all about, and the content I'll be bringing you.
Be sure to hit that subscribe button to get hold of the first episodes as soon as they're released!