1 00:00:04,360 --> 00:00:07,320 Speaker 1: Welcome to How I Work, a show about the tactics 2 00:00:07,400 --> 00:00:09,760 Speaker 1: used by leading innovators to get so much out of 3 00:00:09,800 --> 00:00:12,959 Speaker 1: their day. I'm your host, doctor Amantha Imber. I'm an 4 00:00:13,000 --> 00:00:16,800 Speaker 1: organizational psychologist, the CEO of Inventium, and I'm obsessed with 5 00:00:16,880 --> 00:00:21,560 Speaker 1: finding ways to optimize my work day. Today's episode is 6 00:00:21,640 --> 00:00:24,119 Speaker 1: part of a new format that I'm trying out for 7 00:00:24,160 --> 00:00:27,560 Speaker 1: the podcast, called My Favorite Tip. So the title is 8 00:00:27,560 --> 00:00:31,800 Speaker 1: probably pretty self explanatory. It's essentially about getting my favorite 9 00:00:31,840 --> 00:00:34,920 Speaker 1: tip from each of the interviews I conduct because I 10 00:00:34,960 --> 00:00:37,760 Speaker 1: thought that, you know, as a podcast listener, sometimes when 11 00:00:37,760 --> 00:00:40,120 Speaker 1: I'm listening to interviews, I just want to get in, 12 00:00:40,320 --> 00:00:43,000 Speaker 1: extract the most value, and then get out. So in 13 00:00:43,040 --> 00:00:45,560 Speaker 1: this format, I'm trying to do just that. So I'll 14 00:00:45,560 --> 00:00:48,360 Speaker 1: be going through past episodes of How I Work and 15 00:00:48,400 --> 00:00:52,960 Speaker 1: digging up my favorite tip from each interview. My guest 16 00:00:52,960 --> 00:00:56,920 Speaker 1: today is Baritun Day Thurston. Now I don't quite know 17 00:00:56,960 --> 00:00:59,040 Speaker 1: how to introduce him in a nutshell because he's done 18 00:00:59,080 --> 00:01:02,280 Speaker 1: so many diverse things. For example, he is a particularly 19 00:01:02,360 --> 00:01:05,399 Speaker 1: hilarious comedian. He wrote the best selling book How to 20 00:01:05,480 --> 00:01:08,920 Speaker 1: Be Black, as well as many feature articles for places 21 00:01:08,959 --> 00:01:12,360 Speaker 1: like Fast Company and Medium. He also helped to relaunch 22 00:01:12,400 --> 00:01:15,200 Speaker 1: The Daily Show with Trevor Noah through building the digital 23 00:01:15,240 --> 00:01:17,960 Speaker 1: expansion team, and he used to write for The Onion 24 00:01:18,040 --> 00:01:21,440 Speaker 1: and he's even been nominated for an Emmy Award. Now, 25 00:01:21,480 --> 00:01:25,080 Speaker 1: as someone who juggles lots of different projects at one time, 26 00:01:25,560 --> 00:01:28,920 Speaker 1: creating weekly rituals and space to reflect is key to 27 00:01:29,000 --> 00:01:32,119 Speaker 1: Baratune day. In this part of our chat, we talk 28 00:01:32,160 --> 00:01:37,160 Speaker 1: about the importance of his Sunday reflection ritual, but it's. 29 00:01:37,480 --> 00:01:42,000 Speaker 2: I've learned that just totally winging it doesn't work at all, 30 00:01:42,600 --> 00:01:46,080 Speaker 2: and so I kind of hope that there's this magic 31 00:01:46,160 --> 00:01:49,680 Speaker 2: technique that if I just find the right system, that'll 32 00:01:49,720 --> 00:01:52,560 Speaker 2: fix it. I tried to getting things done years back. 33 00:01:53,480 --> 00:01:56,760 Speaker 2: I grew up with a Franklin day planner before it 34 00:01:56,880 --> 00:02:01,200 Speaker 2: became Franklin Covey, literally in middle school at a paper 35 00:02:01,280 --> 00:02:03,560 Speaker 2: day planner and my appointment book. 36 00:02:03,720 --> 00:02:06,840 Speaker 3: With my class schedule and my goals for the day. 37 00:02:08,080 --> 00:02:11,919 Speaker 3: I was a very popular child, very cool, nothing friends and. 38 00:02:12,800 --> 00:02:14,600 Speaker 2: Very cool, very I mean all the cool kids had 39 00:02:14,680 --> 00:02:16,919 Speaker 2: printed day planners back in the nineties. 40 00:02:17,240 --> 00:02:19,200 Speaker 3: I was very pioneering. 41 00:02:19,480 --> 00:02:21,040 Speaker 2: And so what I found with all these systems is 42 00:02:21,040 --> 00:02:24,120 Speaker 2: I never fully adhere to them. But I take a 43 00:02:24,120 --> 00:02:29,280 Speaker 2: few valuable pieces from them, and the best tend to maintain, 44 00:02:29,680 --> 00:02:32,560 Speaker 2: so it tends to help. Is like, Okay, Sunday, let's 45 00:02:32,600 --> 00:02:36,440 Speaker 2: look ahead, let's look back, Let's see what I said 46 00:02:36,480 --> 00:02:38,960 Speaker 2: I was going to do. What rolls forward? Let's see 47 00:02:39,000 --> 00:02:42,760 Speaker 2: what is the most important, and then ideally every day 48 00:02:42,840 --> 00:02:44,560 Speaker 2: I'm making some time at the beginning of the day 49 00:02:44,600 --> 00:02:47,919 Speaker 2: to do that on a daily basis. Quite honestly, that 50 00:02:48,000 --> 00:02:50,639 Speaker 2: part doesn't happen. But if I can do the weekly 51 00:02:50,840 --> 00:02:53,800 Speaker 2: preview and even a couple of days of that week, 52 00:02:54,480 --> 00:02:57,760 Speaker 2: look more cautiously, Okay, what are the most important things 53 00:02:58,720 --> 00:03:01,480 Speaker 2: that I must get done today versus stuff I just 54 00:03:01,880 --> 00:03:02,959 Speaker 2: feel good if I did. 55 00:03:03,960 --> 00:03:05,320 Speaker 3: And so I've gotten a little bit. 56 00:03:05,360 --> 00:03:09,760 Speaker 2: I've gotten marginally better at shifting my personality and behavior 57 00:03:09,800 --> 00:03:12,360 Speaker 2: around this stuff. Because when I was younger and had 58 00:03:12,480 --> 00:03:17,000 Speaker 2: energy and youth on my side, I just didn't sneak. 59 00:03:17,200 --> 00:03:18,720 Speaker 3: And that's how I got it done. 60 00:03:18,880 --> 00:03:22,079 Speaker 2: I just burned the candle at both ends, and I 61 00:03:22,120 --> 00:03:23,760 Speaker 2: had an extra lighter, and I've burned it from the 62 00:03:23,800 --> 00:03:28,040 Speaker 2: middle as well, and I've learned that that is unsustainable. 63 00:03:28,160 --> 00:03:31,640 Speaker 2: I've crossed the threshold of forty and though I look 64 00:03:32,440 --> 00:03:37,560 Speaker 2: externally younger. My cells and my skeleton, my molecules know 65 00:03:37,640 --> 00:03:40,640 Speaker 2: my true age, and they are far less forgiving. 66 00:03:41,640 --> 00:03:45,720 Speaker 1: That's interesting that you started with so much structure, and 67 00:03:45,760 --> 00:03:48,920 Speaker 1: it sounds like Sunday is then a key day for 68 00:03:48,960 --> 00:03:52,560 Speaker 1: you in terms of doing the reflection and then the 69 00:03:52,600 --> 00:03:56,920 Speaker 1: forward planning. Is that a summary of what does Sunday 70 00:03:56,960 --> 00:03:59,320 Speaker 1: look like? Is that sort of the I guess the 71 00:03:59,360 --> 00:04:02,160 Speaker 1: critical in terms of looking back and looking forward for 72 00:04:02,240 --> 00:04:04,080 Speaker 1: you now, in terms of your routine. 73 00:04:05,480 --> 00:04:07,440 Speaker 3: All every day is critical. 74 00:04:07,480 --> 00:04:09,320 Speaker 2: You're asking me to choose among my children I love 75 00:04:09,360 --> 00:04:13,600 Speaker 2: them all in all seven days, or my favorites. But 76 00:04:13,760 --> 00:04:18,040 Speaker 2: something around Sunday is it is important to have a 77 00:04:18,080 --> 00:04:23,839 Speaker 2: moment of assessment. Otherwise I'm just running and I can 78 00:04:23,960 --> 00:04:31,599 Speaker 2: forget where to or where for, and so having sometimes 79 00:04:31,600 --> 00:04:35,359 Speaker 2: it's Sunday, sometimes it's Monday morning. Occasionally it's slipped to 80 00:04:35,520 --> 00:04:37,160 Speaker 2: Monday afternoon or something. 81 00:04:38,120 --> 00:04:42,320 Speaker 3: It almost you know earlier in the week is the best. 82 00:04:42,400 --> 00:04:45,360 Speaker 2: And I don't think it's my life doesn't work or 83 00:04:45,400 --> 00:04:48,760 Speaker 2: can always be a sad time. That's just not possible. 84 00:04:48,960 --> 00:04:51,040 Speaker 2: I might be able a flight, I might have a 85 00:04:51,080 --> 00:04:53,400 Speaker 2: conference or a speaking gig or stand up show. 86 00:04:53,400 --> 00:04:55,640 Speaker 3: All the things you listed might be happening. 87 00:04:55,960 --> 00:04:58,320 Speaker 2: I might be having to read indictments that have been 88 00:04:58,320 --> 00:05:01,520 Speaker 2: handed down by the special in the United States government 89 00:05:02,120 --> 00:05:05,400 Speaker 2: about further shenanigans of the administration, like these are important 90 00:05:05,440 --> 00:05:10,120 Speaker 2: things that I have to get done so within the 91 00:05:10,160 --> 00:05:16,120 Speaker 2: flexibility of my I'm scheduled or inconsistent life. I don't 92 00:05:16,120 --> 00:05:18,120 Speaker 2: have a rhythm of appointments. I don't have a job 93 00:05:18,120 --> 00:05:20,440 Speaker 2: I have to report to every day. You know, something 94 00:05:20,520 --> 00:05:22,880 Speaker 2: like Sunday are as close to Sunday as possible is 95 00:05:22,960 --> 00:05:24,400 Speaker 2: very helpful for pretty assessment. 96 00:05:25,160 --> 00:05:30,000 Speaker 1: Hello there, it's Amantha here again. What I loved about 97 00:05:30,000 --> 00:05:34,159 Speaker 1: this practice is that it's like a sign post that 98 00:05:34,279 --> 00:05:36,760 Speaker 1: stops us in our tracks, because I think it's so 99 00:05:36,920 --> 00:05:40,120 Speaker 1: easy to run our weeks and even our months and 100 00:05:40,279 --> 00:05:44,720 Speaker 1: years on autopilot without questioning anything or evaluating our own 101 00:05:44,800 --> 00:05:48,680 Speaker 1: progress against our most important goals. And I think by 102 00:05:48,760 --> 00:05:52,359 Speaker 1: having a regular point in our weekly rhythm that reminds 103 00:05:52,360 --> 00:05:54,520 Speaker 1: you to reflect. I just think it's such a great 104 00:05:54,560 --> 00:05:57,719 Speaker 1: way to keep ourselves on track with what really matters. 105 00:05:58,600 --> 00:06:01,960 Speaker 1: So that is it for today's show. If you found 106 00:06:02,000 --> 00:06:04,280 Speaker 1: it useful, I'd love you to share the episode with 107 00:06:04,400 --> 00:06:07,000 Speaker 1: others in your life that you think could also benefit 108 00:06:07,520 --> 00:06:10,640 Speaker 1: and if you're enjoying how I work, I would love 109 00:06:10,680 --> 00:06:13,600 Speaker 1: it if you could maybe take five or ten seconds 110 00:06:13,680 --> 00:06:16,040 Speaker 1: out of your day to day to leave a review 111 00:06:16,360 --> 00:06:19,560 Speaker 1: wherever you listen to your podcasts. I just loved reading 112 00:06:19,640 --> 00:06:23,040 Speaker 1: listener feedback and reviews brings a massive smile to my face, 113 00:06:23,080 --> 00:06:26,320 Speaker 1: so I would love it if you would like to 114 00:06:26,360 --> 00:06:29,120 Speaker 1: do that. That is it for today and I will 115 00:06:29,160 --> 00:06:30,440 Speaker 1: see you next time.