The Unmistakable Creative Podcast

Chris Bailey, author of The Productivity Project returns to the show to discuss how to bridge the productivity gaps in our lives, and how to effectively manage your time, attention and energy.  HIGHLIGHTSHow to create a structure for your projectsWhy limitations and constraints increase your creativityThe difference between production and accomplishments Character traits coordinated with a lack of productivity Dealing with our addiction to “productivity porn” The biggest mistakes that people make in their productivityWhy checking email hurts our ability to manage attention The 3 ingredients that you combine to increase your productivity Training the ability to manage your attention Why mindfulness is so essential to our work today Resources The Productivity RoadmapThe Productivity Project (Book)The Aging Booth AppQuotes I really think this capacity to change is inherent in everyone. Not all tasks are created equal The more you use your brain to work, the more you need to manage your attention and energy You work less efficiently if you don’t bring all of your attention to the work in front of youProductivity is about the results that your action produces. Attentional spaces breeds creativity. When you let your mind wander and daydream you create the space for ideas to rise and bubble up to the surface For every minute you spend organizing everything that’s a minute you don’t spend doing anything. For exactly one year, beginning May 1st, 2013, Chris Bailey decided to follow his passion and devour everything he could get his hands on about productivity, and then write every day about what he learned on A Year of Productivity. Finally, this podcast is sponsored by **Distraction Mastery-** my time & attention course for busy people. Regain your time and attention, regain your life. Learn more here, or receive a steep discount on the course by joining my inner circle newsletter here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Adam Steltzner, an engineer from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory joins us to discuss his new book the Right Kind of Crazy and lessons in creativity from landing spacecrafts on Mars. HIGHLIGHTSGoing to the edges of what we might be capable ofMaking a significant internal identity shift Searching for what’s wrong to find what’s true Managing fear in high-stakes situations The power of bringing in outside perspectiveThe right kind of crazy vs the wrong kind of crazyWhy our fear of failure is more debilitating than the failure itself Establishing objective distance from your ideasRebuilding your confidence after a significant failureWhy exploration is a gesture of who we areQuotes I want to make sure I don’t stop trying for fear of failing In an organization it’s very important to separate the ideas from the people who hold them. Books The Right Kind of CrazyFor 10 years, Adam Steltzner led a team of engineers inventing, designing, testing and retesting the revolutionary “sky crane” landing system that successfully placed the Mars rover, Curiosity on the Martian surface in 2012. Since then, he’s been awarded honors ranging from the Smithsonian’s American Ingenuity Award in technology, to GQ magazine’s Spaceman of the Year. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Steve Kamb, rebel leader of Nerd Fitness joins us to talk about the power of using incremental progress to level up your life. HIGHLIGHTSLessons learned from The Legend of ZeldaApplying the progress principle to our biggest goalsStructuring your environment to induce flow statesFinding the distinctive identity and fingerprint in our work Removing the need for willpower and motivationDetermining the type of game that you want to playThe power of creating an alter ego and character to level up your life QUOTESEventually doesn’t happen. Tomorrow is not guarantee. I look at nerd as a very positive term Screw motivation, cultivate discipline. Steve Kamb is the founder of Nerdfitness, a global community to help desk jockeys, nerds, and average Joes level up their lives. He’s also the author of Level Up Your Life Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jamie Varon, writer and designer joins us to discuss design and writing in a way that gets to the heart f what you want to say. HIGHLIGHTS Thinking along the lines of what a professional would do The role of self-motivation in our work The power of teaching yourselfOvercoming the desire to just be comfortable  Recognizing the disconnect between where you are and where you want to beHow our imprints motivate or demotivate The variables that create the spectrum of human performance How extremely high expectations can actually hold us back The advantage of naivety and not considering the outcomeHow pre-judgements and uncertainty get in our wayThe echo-chamber of life advice on the internet The danger of getting swallowed in approval Why your great work won’t come from following someone else’s rulesQUOTESI don’t like the feeling that I can’t change where I’m at. Either your outrunning something or trying to keep up with something. Our culture is very programmed to avoid uncertainty. If you’re convicted from a really true place, you can’t get let fear get you. It’s a very vulnerable thing to live life on your own terms. Write the things you want to read. Not what you think people want to read. Books, Resources, and Articles MentionedTurning Pro by Steven PressfieldThis is How We Date NowNobody on the Internet is Living the Life You Think They Are Jamie Varon is a writer and designer. He work has been featured  Huffington Post, Complex/NTRSCTN, Medium,Thought Catalog, Teen Vogue, The Liberty Project, and SF Weekly. You can follow her on twitter @jamievaron.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jeffrey Veen , design partner at True Ventures, and founder of Typekit joins us to discuss the benefits of living a more curious and creative life. HIGHLIGHTS: Lessons in design and content creation from the earliest days of the internet Finding the things that are infectious to us Why empathy is one of the most vital skills that we can learn The power of democratizing tools The power of marketing from a place of sharing everything you do The psychology of being an employee, entrepreneur, and investor Why we must develop a level deep self-knowledge The role that higher purpose plays in our work Lessons learned from some Silicon Valley folk heroes– QUOTES It took me many years to get over my education One narrative that I’ve throughout out my career is to constant striving to overcome constraint People who become really successful have to strive for deep self-knowledge  When I was honest with myself it had less to do with wealth and more to do with reputationJeffrey Veen is a designer partner at True Ventures, where he spend his time helping companies create better products. He does this as an advisor, as well, for companies like about.me, Medium, and WordPress. Previously, he was VP of Design at Adobe after they acquired Typekit, the company he co-founded and ran as CEO.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Cal Newport, Georgetown professor, and author of of So Good They Can’t Ignore, and Deep Work joins us to talk about how to produce work of real of value while training your ability to focus.HIGHLIGHTSHow positive serendipity pays dividends going forward Exposing yourself to positive randomnessThe issues with “follow your passion”The role of engagement, craftsmanshipWhy deliberate practice is the byproduct of hard workApplying systematic thinking to our workThe 3 keys to becoming a straight A studentThe increasing value of deepTraining your capacity for deep work,The danger of giving into distraction even when we’re not trying to get work done3 Types of deep work philosophiesScheduling time for deep work in your lifeThe pitfalls that can cause you to fail at incorporating these practices into your lifeThe importance of confident, competent focus on your energy Moving beyond the any benefit mindsetQuotesJust like a professional athlete is worried about they’re diet, I’m worried about sources of distraction.If you can replicate something yourself, you can understand it so much better than if you just consumed it.We put the cart before the horse when it comes passion.You don’t follow passion, passion follows you.Both our personal and professional lives are increasingly built around these sources of distraction. From a cognitive perspective, that’s like being an athlete who smokes.Books and ResourcesSo Good They Can’t Ignore YouDeep WorkHow to Become a Straight-A Student Cal Newport is an Assistant Professor of Computer Science at Georgetown University, who specializes in the theory of distributed algorithms. He previously earned his Ph.D. from MIT in 2009 and graduated from Dartmouth College in 2004.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

AJ Leon, founder of the creative agency Misfit Inc, returns to the show to discuss living a life of meaning, intention and purpose.HIGHLIGHTSWhy you always have a choice in your lifeLetting go of our need to prove people wrongEvacuating a life plan that had gone horribly wrongWhy you should never stop asking for what you wantUnderstanding the difference between courage and defianceThe difference between starting a company and starting to live deliberatelyWisdom from AJ’s Cuban GrandmotherQUOTESI’m not necessarily courageous, but I am defiant.  @ajleon via @unmistakableCR https://bit.ly/1UrqkNUYou always have a choice. @ajleon via @unmistakableCR https://bit.ly/1UrqkNUSooner or later the person that you want to be will be merge into the person you are. @ajleon via @unmistakableCR https://bit.ly/1UrqkNUIf you’re good at what you do, people will want more of it. @ajleon via @unmistakableCR https://bit.ly/1UrqkNUWhat I’m interested is not success, but significance. @ajleon via @unmistakableCR https://bit.ly/1UrqkNU AJ Leon is the founder of Misft Inc, and the author of The Life and Times of Remarkable Misfit. You can follow him on twitter @aljeon AJ Leon, founder of the creative agency Misfit Inc, returns to the show to discuss living a life of meaning, intention and purpose.HIGHLIGHTSWhy you always have a choice in your lifeLetting go of our need to prove people wrongEvacuating a life plan that had gone horribly wrongWhy you should never stop asking for what you wantUnderstanding the difference between courage and defianceThe difference between starting a company and starting to live deliberatelyWisdom from AJ’s Cuban GrandmotherQUOTESI’m not necessarily courageous, but I am defiant.  @ajleon via @unmistakableCR https://bit.ly/1UrqkNUYou always have a choice. @ajleon via @unmistakableCR https://bit.ly/1UrqkNUSooner or later the person that you want to be will be merge into the person you are. @ajleon via @unmistakableCR https://bit.ly/1UrqkNUIf you’re good at what you do, people will want more of it. @ajleon via @unmistakableCR https://bit.ly/1UrqkNUWhat I’m interested is not success, but significance. @ajleon via @unmistakableCR https://bit.ly/1UrqkNU AJ Leon is the founder of Misft Inc, and the author of The Life and Times of Remarkable Misfit. You can follow him on twitter @aljeon  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Phillip Mckernan returns to the show to discuss how to make 2016 the most prosperous year of our lives.HIGHLIGHTSWhy happiness is the byproduct of meaning Letting go of our attachments to create spaceLeveraging a wakeup call to become more of who we are The danger of giving too much of your identity to external outcomesHow to resist the temptation to dilute your truth Developing the courage to stay true to your messageThe relationship between self-worth and prosperity The biggest questions we have to ask Quotes:My belief is we don’t have to build an empire to fulfill a dream  What we do isn’t who we are. What we do should be an expression of who we areWe give ourselves what we think we deserve I don’t go looking for accolades and awards to validate to who I am. Anyone who thinks they don’t have an ego is lying to themselves and to the world.Criticism doesn’t always come from the words that are said. Sometimes it comes from the words that are not said.  Philip speaks around the world about the importance of overcoming personal obstacles, gaining clarity, and cultivating the confidence to believe in yourself. He has shared stages with some well-known speakers…Steven Covey, Richard Branson, the Dalai Lama to name a few.  Through live personal leadership experiences, he has worked with all sorts of people from housewives to Olympic athletes, TV personalities and entrepreneurs, people who’ve gone bankrupt to billionaires and everything in between, and he’s uncovered that people’s dysfunctional relationship to money and their inability to get in touch with their own deep intuition inhibits their ability to gain the authentic clarity they need to live an authentic, and meaningful life.Phillip Mckernan returns to the show to discuss how to make 2016 the most prosperous year of our lives.HIGHLIGHTSWhy happiness is the byproduct of meaning Letting go of our attachments to create spaceLeveraging a wakeup call to become more of who we are The danger of giving too much of your identity to external outcomesHow to resist the temptation to dilute your truth Developing the courage to stay true to your messageThe relationship between self-worth and prosperity The biggest questions we have to ask Quotes:My belief is we don’t have to build an empire to fulfill a dream  What we do isn’t who we are. What we do should be an expression of who we areWe give ourselves what we think we deserve I don’t go looking for accolades and awards to validate to who I am. Anyone who thinks they don’t have an ego is lying to themselves and to the world.Criticism doesn’t always come from the words that are said. Sometimes it comes from the words that are not said.  Philip speaks around the world about the importance of overcoming personal obstacles, gaining clarity, and cultivating the confidence to believe in yourself. He has shared stages with some well-known speakers…Steven Covey, Richard Branson, the Dalai Lama to name a few.  Through live personal leadership experiences, he has worked with all sorts of people from housewives to Olympic athletes, TV personalities and entrepreneurs, people who’ve gone bankrupt to billionaires and everything in between, and he’s uncovered that people’s dysfunctional relationship to money and their inability to get in touch with their own deep intuition inhibits their ability to gain the authentic clarity they need to live an authentic, and meaningful life. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this 2015 wrap up episode, Brian Koehn and I steal an idea from Tim Ferriss, and share some of the things we’ve learned from podcast guests in 2015. Episodes MentionedHow to Live Well and Die Well (Part 1 and Part 2) with Greg HartleA Soulful Exploration of Inner Wisdom with Susan PiverThe Art of Living a Noteworthy Life with Bob GoffWhy You Should Never Miss an Opportunity to be Fabulous with Tina SeeligHonoring the Intentions of Our Legacy with Patti DighCreating Your Immortal Beautiful Work with Jennifer BoykinDesigning Environments for Optimal Performance and CreativityUnlearning Everything You Know About Business with David Heneimeir HanssonMaking the Impossible Possible with Tim FerrissOther Resources MentionedWhat Makes Some Truly Wealthy with Tim Ferriss (Animated Short)The Geography of Loss by Patti DighReconsider an essay by David Heneimeir HanssonThe Day I Became a Millionaire by David Heneimeir Hansson Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Wesley Chapman shares his personal story of 12 documented suicide attempts, and the tremendous power of accepting the transparent reality of our core identities HIGHLIGHTS: Wes’ experience with 12 document suicide attemptFinding your identity after it’s been lost How our stories and circumstances become our power Connecting the experiences of your life to expression of your identityWhy healing from our pain frees us from it Seeing past people’s weaknesses in order to see their strengthsAn honest conversation about what drives people towards suicide Why worth is so important to our internal well being The power of creativity and imagination to increase our  self worth Why every hero’s journey has a moment when we fall QuotesUntil we’re honest with ourselves we can’t be honest with the rest of the world Resources: A Human ProjectWesley Chapman is the co-founder of a non-profit called A Human Project, where his mission is to create a community of empowered youth, while preventing teens from self harm and suicide.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.