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Beyond the To-Do List - Productivity for Work and Life

Beyond the To-Do List - Productivity for Work and Life

By: Erik Fisher
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Conversations with productivity experts, authors, and creatives on how to implement productivity strategies in both your professional and personal life. The goal as you listen is to help you gain perspective, practical knowledge, and productivity insights for living a whole life that goes Beyond The To-Do List.

© © 2023 Erik Fisher Career Success Economics Leadership Management & Leadership Personal Development Personal Success
Episodes
  • Annie Duke on Better Decisions: How to Decide at Work and Life

    Annie Duke on Better Decisions: How to Decide at Work and Life
    Nov 18 2025
    I’m excited to revisit this conversation with Annie Duke to the show to talk about her book, How to Decide: Simple Tools for Making Better Choices. Annie is a former professional poker player turned decision strategist who blends cognitive psychology, high-stakes poker, and practical frameworks to help us make better choices in work and life—even when we don’t have all the information. In this conversation, we cover:Luck, Skill, and Outcomes: Annie explains why we need to stop judging our decisions solely by outcomes—and how separating luck from skill leads to better learning and better choices over time. Thinking in Bets and Living with Uncertainty: Drawing from her poker career and academic background, Annie shows how “thinking in bets” helps us navigate uncertainty, manage risk, and make sound decisions even when the long run is a long way off. Simple Decision Tools and Knowledge Tracking: We talk about practical decision processes—like writing down what you knew, what you believed, and what you predicted at the time—to close feedback loops faster and improve your judgment without needing 10,000 repetitions. Escaping Bias, Sunk Costs, and Identity Traps: Annie unpacks how status quo bias, sunk cost fallacy, and “identity-protective cognition” keep us defending past choices instead of seeking truth—and how a better decision process helps us see options more objectively. Confidence, Quitting, and Knowing When to Pivot: We explore how to calibrate confidence, tell the difference between a mountain and a molehill, and decide when perseverance serves you—and when it’s wiser (and more productive) to climb back down and choose a different path. Annie’s insights take decision-making out of the realm of “go with your gut” and into a practical, repeatable process you can use for everything from small daily choices to major career moves. If you’ve ever looked back and thought, “If I knew then what I know now…”, this episode will give you tools to reduce those regrets and make more confident, informed decisions going forward. Learn more about Annie and her work at AnnieDuke.com, where you’ll find her books, talks, and newsletter, along with ways to connect further. You can also find How to Decide wherever books are sold.Connect with Erik:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Threads⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠This Podcast is Powered By:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Descript⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Descript 101⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Castmagic⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ecamm⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Podpage⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Rodecaster Pro⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Top Productivity Books List⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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    1 hr
  • Tamsen Webster on Speaking So They Can’t Unhear Your Message

    Tamsen Webster on Speaking So They Can’t Unhear Your Message
    Oct 8 2025

    In this shortcast episode, Erik Fisher talks with Tamsen Webster about the hidden structure behind every message that sticks. Tamsen introduces the Red Thread—a framework for crafting ideas that feel obvious in hindsight and impossible to ignore. Whether you’re pitching a project, leading a team, or launching a product, this episode will help you connect what you’re saying to what people are already thinking.

    In this episode, you’ll learn:


    • Why Belief Comes Before Behavior: Tamsen explains why people won’t act on your idea until it aligns with who they believe they are.
    • The Red Thread Framework: A practical way to structure your message using five building blocks—Goal, Problem, Truth, Change, and Action.
    • The Role of Story Without Telling Stories: How you can build narrative logic even if you never tell a single anecdote.
    • Why Ideas Fall Flat: Tamsen shares the #1 reason messages don’t stick—and how to rework them to resonate deeply.
    • How to Create Agreement Without Force: You’ll hear why persuasion isn’t about pressure—it’s about showing people what they already believe.


    This episode is packed with insights on how to design messages that don’t just land—they last.


    To learn more about the Red Thread or grab Tamsen’s latest book Say What They Can’t Unhear, visit tamsenwebster.com.

    See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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    56 mins
  • Margaret Andrews on Manage Yourself to Lead Others

    Margaret Andrews on Manage Yourself to Lead Others
    Sep 27 2025
    Margaret Andrews is the founder of Mind and Hand Associates, faculty at Harvard Extension School, and author of Manage Yourself to Lead Others: Why Great Leadership Begins with Self-Understanding. In this episode, she breaks down the MYLO framework—a practical, science-based system built around Motivation, Learning, and Opportunity—and explains how leaders at any level can use it to grow with intention, clarity, and effectiveness.In this episode, we cover:What Is MYLO? Margaret introduces the Motivation–Learning–Opportunity triangle and why all three are essential for leadership development.Motivation Beyond Willpower: We explore how autonomy, relatedness, and competence drive sustainable motivation.Learning as a Leadership Lever: Why deliberate practice, feedback, and humility are key to developing new skills and perspectives.The Role of Opportunity in Growth: How stretch assignments, visibility, and support systems create the conditions for leadership advancement.What Gets in the Way: Margaret explains common blocks to growth—like fixed mindset, poor feedback loops, and misaligned expectations.The Importance of Intentionality: Why “just doing your job well” isn’t enough if you want to lead or level up.Feedback That Fuels Development: How to ask for, receive, and act on feedback even when it’s vague, hard to hear, or poorly delivered.How to Craft a Personal Leadership Development Plan: Using the MYLO framework to assess where you are—and what’s missing.The Case for Self-Compassion and Curiosity: Margaret shares how these two traits amplify resilience and long-term success.Applying MYLO at Every Level: Whether you’re an emerging leader or a seasoned executive, this framework gives you a way to stay sharp and self-aware.Connect with Margaret on LinkedIn here.Find Manage Yourself to Lead Others: Why Great Leadership Begins with Self-Understanding wherever books are sold.Connect with Erik:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Threads⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠This Podcast is Powered By:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Descript⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Descript 101⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Castmagic⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ecamm⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Podpage⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Rodecaster Pro⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Top Productivity Books List⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Make sure to grab Shortcasts from Beyond The To-Do List by Blinkist. A Shortcast is a 7-10 min version of a podcast where you get the core takeaways. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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    37 mins
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