At sondevelopment we produce podcasts professionally for a range of clients. From full production (gear, setup, editing, hosting, reporting) to just helping people get their podcasts off the ground – we know our stuff!

In this episode, we reshare one such podcast from a lovely client called Voyages Jules Verne.

We've been producing Passepartout People & Places since 2022. It's a wonderful podcast combining:

• Travel stories
• Ideas and suggestions
• High production values - using audio to really 'take you' to the place

This particular episode (Laura and Latin America) is being dual-shared here, and by Abbey at Jules Verne as part of their Summer 24 Replay series.

Have a listen, and if you like it - here's where to find more episodes:

•  Voyages Jules Verne - The Jules Verne podcast page on their website
• The various podcast sites:
• Apple Podcasts
• Spotify
• YouTube

If you'd like to find out more about our audio work:

• The Audio page on our website

Get in Touch:

• Visit our Website to learn more about what we do.
• Follow us on Instagram
• And LinkedIn

Support Our Podcast:

• Rate or subscribe on Apple Podcasts.
• Subscribe on Spotify.
• Watch and listen on YouTube.

Thanks so much for listening. If we help you BE BETTER at what you do, it’s all been worth it!

Not only do we make sharppodcast, but, at sondevelopment.com, we also produce podcasts professionally for a range of clients. From full production (gear, setup, editing, hosting, reporting) to just helping people get their podcast off the ground – we know our stuff!

In this episode, we reshare one such podcast from a lovely client called Naomi Lloyd.

Naomi’s creation – How To Belong – is amazing and we’re proud to have helped her produce it.

This episode is a share of Naomi’s pilot episode, where I interview her to find out what it’s all about. You’ll love it!

Naomi shares her inspiring journey of navigating hearing loss, grief, and the pursuit of perfection, ultimately finding true belonging within herself. Whether you're searching for your own sense of belonging or supporting others, this will resonate with you.

Introduction to Naomi E. Lloyd:

• Published author, wedding photographer, and marketing expert
• Naomi’s unique journey from feeling like she didn’t fit in, to embracing her true self

Memorable Moments and Stories:

• Naomi’s childhood experience with hearing loss and the challenges of fitting in
• The profound impact of grief and how it reshaped Naomi’s sense of belonging
• The concept of perfection in diamonds and its philosophical parallels to human experiences

Creating "How to Belong":

• The inspiration behind Naomi’s new podcast
• The powerful role of storytelling and shared experiences in fostering belonging
• How podcasts served as a lifeline during Naomi’s grief and became a platform for connection

Handy Tips and Insights:

• Embrace your uniqueness rather than striving for perfection
• Understand the journey of self-acceptance and the importance of not conforming

The Importance of Self-Belonging:

• Finding your home within yourself for ultimate power and belonging
• The impact of building your sense of belonging in others vs. within yourself

Connect with Naomi:

• Naomi E. Lloyd’s Website - Learn more about Naomi’s books, photography, and podcast
• LinkedIn
• Instagram

Links to some of the people mentioned:

• The Elizabeth Foundation - Support for children with hearing loss and their families.
• Jodie Goodchild - LinkedIn

Get in Touch:

• Visit our Website to learn more about what we do.
• Follow us on Instagram
• And LinkedIn

Support Our Podcast:

• Rate or subscribe on Apple Podcasts.
• Subscribe on Spotify.
• Watch and listen on YouTube.

Thanks so much for listening. If we help you BE BETTER at what you do, it’s all been worth it!

• Why LinkedIn matters:
• LinkedIn isn’t just an online CV anymore – it’s a powerful business tool.
• The huge boost in LinkedIn activity, especially post-pandemic.
• 1 billion members, 200 million daily users, and 1 million posts per day!
• Creating a Great LinkedIn Profile:
• Get a professional headshot (check out Penny Plimmer and Laurie Jeffery for great photography).
• Write an engaging Headline and an About Me section that stands out.
• Make sure your contact info is easy to find.
• Connecting and Engaging Like a Pro:
• The right way to send connection requests without being salesy.
• Avoid the dreaded “pitch slap” – be genuine and human.
• Use LinkedIn’s search to find and engage with relevant content.
• Posting Great Content:
• Share valuable, educational content, not just personal stuff.
• Aim for 2-3 posts per week to keep your profile active.
• Engage with others’ posts to build a genuine network.
• Boosting Your Content with LinkedIn’s Algorithm:
• Understand how LinkedIn boosts quality content.
• Be consistent and mix up your LinkedIn activities for better results.
• Handy Tips and Tools:
• Use LinkedIn’s scheduling feature for your posts.
• Try tools like Canva for creating eye-catching posts.
• Keep your brand message and tone consistent.
• Resources and Support:
• Check out Jodie Goodchild’s LinkedIn Revolution Community for more tips and support.
• Look out for Jodie’s book: “The LinkedIn Revolution: The Future of Sales and Marketing.”

• Jodie Goodchild:
• LinkedIn
• Instagram
• Website
• TikTok
• Steve O’Neill:
• LinkedIn
• Website
• Instagram
• Other Great LinkedIn people who do it really well:
• Kirsty Gray
• Max Shore
• Reece Matthews
• Daniel Priestley
• Ross Stevenson
• Steve Reeve
• Helen Walker
• Hayley Jones

• Visit sondevelopment.com to learn more about what we do.
• Follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn.
• Subscribe to Sharp Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.

• Rate or subscribe on Apple Podcasts.
• Subscribe on Spotify.
• Watch and listen on YouTube.

Thanks so much for listening. If we help you BE BETTER at what you do, it’s all been worth it!

There are a few things you're getting with this episode.

Yes this is a FREE sample, a free insight into our brand new course CLEAR®. The course is NOW live, and we've had amazing feedback from people.

The common theme is how it's changing people's lives. From Directors to Filmmakers, Interior Designers to Regional Managers, and Individual Accountants to teams of 20+ people; the feedback is overwhelming...

"less stress", "greater sense of well-being", "more organised", "game-changer", "take back control of my time"...etc...etc.

This episode is the actual podcast of the FULL INTRO section, setting out what the course is about, who it's for, and you get to meet LUCY.

Look at all this stuff we covered in this full episode:

• What the CLEAR® framework stands for
• Catch - how to deal with the stuff as it comes at you
• Locate - where to put it all
• Execute - how to set your day up for success
• Adapt - dealing with change and things that can de-rail your day
• Review - celebrating success and deciding what you wanna tweak
• Who it's for
• Some people struggle because they have no system to deal with stuff, others because their system isn't actually working
• Being MORE productive may not be the answer
• Why it's not about time management
• Time management isn't possible - you can't manage time!
• What you can manage is what you pay attention to in the time you have
• YOUR story
• This course is different - because we're not just giving you the solution
• We're also getting you to work out what that means to you
• How YOUR life could be different
• What YOU actually want to do
• It's not JUST for work - it's for LIFE
• Lucy's 'before story'
• We meet Lucy, and spend a day with her
• It's not fun - but you may be able to relate to some of her pain points
• Of course, CLEAR® offers solutions to some of those pain points
• In a later section - we revisit Lucy, and discover how different her world is after having applied the CLEAR® methodology
• The 3 Levels
• At Level 1 we're going to explain the framework and get you going at a basic level
• Level 2 will build on your experience, introducing some new tools, and more advanced techniques
• Level 3 (which we're calling the power level) will be the advanced level where we look at optimising the tools to work together, and to use with teams, family members and other people

• OK - so you wanna get £400 OFF the list price, for being a loyal podcast listener? Here's how to do it:

1) Click on the FREE PREVIEW link here

2) Enrol and have a look at the free stuff, then go to the payment window

3) Enter the discount code loyalpod400

If you're not ready to commit and just want to find out more. You can see some details and some of our testimonials on our webpage here: CLEAR Webpage

If you've got any questions, send me an email at clear@sondevelopment.com

To find out more about sondevelopment and how we can help you and your team:

• Check out the website to see what we do - sondevelopment.com
• Watch some of our YouTube videos
• Connect on social media - Instagram or LinkedIn

As always, we’re grateful for your help supporting this podcast. To do this, you can:

• Buy me a coffee (I’d be ever so grateful)
• Rate or subscribe on apple podcasts by going here – apple podcasts
• Contact us on Twitter – we are @sharppodcast here

Thanks EVER SO MUCH for listening. If we help you BE BETTER at what you do, it’s all been worth it!

If you haven't already heard the first half of this conversation, it might be a good idea to go back to episode 89 and listen to that first.

In this second half of our conversation, we talked about leadership, and how it's possible to be a leader without being a d***.

Here's what we covered:

• Authenticity
• Why it matters
• The place for vulnerability
• Psychological safety
• Poor leadership
• Stifling innovation
• Smelling your own farts
• Staying in your lane
• Lack of diversity
• Poor language
• Lack of respect
• Other things
• Being curious
• Sales skills
• Your 'work person' versus your 'person person'
• CLEAR®
• Lisa's LinkedIn work

We're Eager to Hear From You!

• Connect with Lisa and I on LinkedIn and tell us what you think
• Do you agree - disagree - what's your experience?
• Lisa's LinkedIn Profile
• Steve's LinkedIn Profile
• Find more about what we do at sondevelopment.com.
• Engage with us on Instagram or LinkedIn.

Support Our Podcast:

• Rate or subscribe on Apple Podcasts.
• Subscribe on Spotify
• Watch AND listen on YouTube

Thanks EVER SO MUCH for listening. If we help you BE BETTER at what you do, it’s all been worth it!

It's been a while. After a 4 year gap, we're back at the kitchen table for a conversation soooo long, we had to make it into two episodes!

So in this first part, we talked about the benefits of planning the NON-WORK stuff.

Here's what we covered:

• Weekly Planning
• Why people think we're weirdos
• How it helps
• Why asking these questions helps our relationship:
• What brought you joy or excitement this week?
• Is there anything I did to hurt you this week that we can repair now?
• What are you looking forward to in the upcoming week?
• What's something worrisome/hard that's happening in the coming week(s)? Is there something I can do to help?
• What can I do next week to make you feel more loved?
• Yearly Vision Planning
• Why we do it
• How to measure things
• The impact
• Making progress
• Your Brand
• Why Lisa changed her approach to LinkedIn
• Why a personal brand matters
• Not keeping 'work you' and 'you you' separate
• Other Stuff
• Owning your self-development
• Imposter syndrome - and how to deal with it
• Being transparent and honest in your network
• Lisa's secrets to authen... SORRY that's where Part I ends!

Part II Will be coming next week (or may even be in your app already if you're listening later on in the month)

We're Eager to Hear From You!

• Connect with Lisa and I on LinkedIn and tell us what you think
• Do you agree - disagree - what's your experience?
• Lisa's LinkedIn Profile
• Steve's LinkedIn Profile
• Find more about what we do at sondevelopment.com.
• Engage with us on Instagram or LinkedIn.

Support Our Podcast:

• Rate or subscribe on Apple Podcasts.
• Subscribe on Spotify
• Watch AND listen on YouTube

Thanks EVER SO MUCH for listening. If we help you BE BETTER at what you do, it’s all been worth it!

From church mouse - to Miley Cyrus! What a brilliant conversation this was with Helen Walker. Helen shares her transformative approach to boosting confidence and mastering your mindset. Whether you're taking the stage, networking, making videos, selling products, or in any situation where you need to speak about yourself confidently - this will help!

Helen's insights are designed to empower you to step up with confidence and authenticity.

Here's what we covered:

• Mindset Mastery
• Uncover the strategies Helen uses to transform fear into confidence.
• Explore the crucial components of a confident mindset.
• Discover how to rewrite the stories you tell yourself.
• Networking with Ease
• Learn Helen's top tips for making genuine connections and standing out in any crowd.
• Practical tips for making impactful connections.
• How to approach networking events with confidence.
• Public Speaking Like a Pro
• Get practical advice on captivating your audience, whether in person or on camera.
• Techniques to engage and captivate your audience.
• Overcoming nerves with Helen's proven strategies.
• Daily Confidence Boosters:
• Helen shares simple, effective methods to boost your confidence every day.
• Simple routines to build and maintain confidence every day.
• Incorporating mindfulness and positive affirmations.

We're Eager to Hear From You!

• Share your experiences with implementing Helen's strategies in your life or business.
• Tell us how you've adapted these techniques to boost your confidence in other areas.

Connect with Us:

• Find more about what we do at sondevelopment.com.
• Engage with us on Instagram or LinkedIn.

Learn More About Helen Walker:

• Visit Helen's website: Helen Walker Coaching
• Follow Helen on Instagram: @ThisIsHelenWalker
• Or Facebook:
• Discover more tips and insights on Helen's YouTube Channel.
• Connect on LinkedIn

Support Our Podcast:

• Rate or subscribe on Apple Podcasts.
• Subscribe on Spotify
• Watch AND listen on YouTube

Thanks EVER SO MUCH for listening. If we help you BE BETTER at what you do, it’s all been worth it!

In this enlightening episode, we dive into how transforming your health can significantly impact your work performance and personal life. Our guest, Aaron Morton, shares his expert insights on harnessing the power of energy to become more effective and fulfilled in all areas of life.

Here's what we covered:

• The Energized Mind: Explore the five crucial aspects that contribute to a vibrant and focused mindset.
• Nutrition for Energy: Learn how the right dietary choices can elevate your energy levels throughout the day.
• Movement Matters: Discover simple, effective strategies to incorporate physical activity into your routine, boosting both energy and mood.
• Optimizing Your Environment: Tips on creating a space that fosters focus, productivity, and positivity.
• The Secret to Restorative Sleep: Uncover strategies to enhance sleep quality, ensuring you wake up refreshed and ready to tackle the day.

Key Takeaways:

• Practical, actionable tips in each area to help you cultivate a high-energy lifestyle.
• Understanding the interconnectedness of health and work performance.
• Simple changes that can lead to significant improvements in your daily energy levels and overall well-being.

Tune in to gain valuable insights and practical tips from Aaron Morton on transforming your energy into your greatest asset. Don't miss out on this opportunity to elevate your performance in work and life!

To find out more about sondevelopment and how we can help you and your team:

• Check out the website to see what we do - sondevelopment.com
• Watch some of our YouTube videos
• Connect on social media - Instagram or LinkedIn

Connect with Aaron Morton:

• Website: AaronMorton.co
• Instagram: @AaronMortonCO
• YouTube: Time Strapped Health

As always, we’re grateful for your help supporting this podcast. To do this, you can:

• Buy me a coffee (I’d be ever so grateful)
• Rate or subscribe on Apple podcasts by going here – Apple Podcasts
• Contact us on Twitter (X)– we are @sharppodcast here

Thanks EVER SO MUCH for listening. If we help you BE BETTER at what you do, it’s all been worth it!

We chatted with Rob Osborne about his amazing system for compiling and creating all of your social media content (or marketing) in a super-efficient, effective way.

Freeing you up to spend the time on running your business, delivering your service, or doing anything that you'd rather be doing.

And this way of working doesn't just apply to social media. You can use the 'batching' process to deal with any repetitive task that you do multiple times a month.

Here's what we covered...

• The system has five steps, each of which you can complete in an hour:
• Hour 1
• Identify 5 topics
• These will be the areas your content will be about
• They should relate to your business or your area of knowledge
• Hour 2
• Identify 13 bullet points per topic
• You can use A.I. to help
• 13 ideas/quotes/thoughts or solutions
• Hour 3
• Choose 65 pictures/images
• You can use places such as Pexels or Pixabay
• (check for copyright requirements)
• Hour 4
• Create a template in Canva or your imaging software of choice
• Hour 5
• Set up the schedule
• Scheduling
• You have now got 65 posts, one for each weekday for 13 weeks
• You can schedule them all in one go, or do it weekly
• Power Move
• Create a folder for each topic
• Within that folder create two further folders:
• "To post" - This folder contains all the posts ready to go out
• "Posted" - You move them into here once you've posted them
• That way you know which ones need to go out, and when it's time to start creating some new ones

We'd love to hear about how you have implemented this, or if you've used the same system to help you in another area of your business, or life!

Obviously, it's your responsibility to comply with copyright and trade mark legislation. And, those who create the media that you are repurposing have bills too - so always ensure you're using media that's copyright-free, and accredit where applicable.

Contact me on any of the social links below. And to find out more about what Rob does, and to contact him - there are links below too.

To find out more about sondevelopment and how we can help you and your team:

• Check out the website to see what we do - sondevelopment.com
• Watch some of our YouTube videos
• Connect on social media - Instagram or LinkedIn

To find out more about Rob Osborne and how he can help you do social marketing:

• Red Knight Solutions - website
• Rob's email is rob.osborne@redknightsolutions.co.uk
• X (Twitter)
• Facebook
• LinkedIn
• Instagram
• YouTube

As always, we’re grateful for your help supporting this podcast. To do this, you can:

• Buy me a coffee (I’d be ever so grateful)
• Rate or subscribe on Apple podcasts by going here – Apple Podcasts
• Contact us on Twitter (X)– we are @sharppodcast here

Thanks EVER SO MUCH for listening. If we help you BE BETTER at what you do, it’s all been worth it!

We released 7 episodes in 2023, some were brand-new subjects, some were interviews, and some were re-releases of our favourite episodes from the past.

In this episode, we're taking a peek back at them, with a small sample from each. If you're new to sharppodcast, or you just didn't manage to catch everything from last year - this is a great place to start.

Here's what we covered, with the link to listen again at the end:

• April - Ready Steady Tomato
• We looked at the Pomodoro design
• How it works
• 1980’s Italy
• The techniques
• Steve and Lisa at the kitchen table
• May - Work-Life Balance
• What is it?
• Is it achievable?
• Does it work?
• I changed my view making this episode
• July - Hayley Jones
• Demystifying Accountancy
• Top finance tips
• Why having an accountant matters
• August - What's wrong with Positive?
• Another one where I changed my personal view
• Why 'just being positive' isn't necessarily a good thing
• How sometimes it could hold you back
• October - Melanie Griffiths
• The joy of movement
• Why it matters
• How to easily get some movement into your day
• November - Sandie Doyle
• How the subconscious can hold us back
• Moving away from Trauma
• Bringing joy into people's lives
• December - CLEAR® a free audio sample
• Our brand new course has a podcast section in each chapter
• This is the FULL podcast from the introduction chapter
• Free gift to you - our loyal listeners!

To listen to any of these episodes - go to the podcast page at sondevelopment - here

If you like what we've shared, and want to either find out more or go on the waiting list for the CLEAR® release, here are some contact details and links:

• Contact me for release information, and to join the waiting list email clear@sondevelopment.com
• The website CLEAR® page

To find out more about sondevelopment and how we can help you and your team:

• Check out the website to see what we do - sondevelopment.com
• Watch some of our YouTube videos
• Connect on social media - Instagram or LinkedIn

As always, we’re grateful for your help supporting this podcast. To do this, you can:

• Buy me a coffee (I’d be ever so grateful)
• Rate or subscribe on apple podcasts by going here – apple podcasts
• Contact us on Twitter – we are @sharppodcast here

Thanks EVER SO MUCH for listening. If we help you BE BETTER at what you do, it’s all been worth it!

Due to be released next year, the course is designed to help people who feel overwhelmed, too busy, under pressure, or who just don't feel like they are getting to the things that matter.

The course will be released over 3 Levels, with Level 1 coming first to explain the CLEAR® framework, how to get it going, and where to start.

Each chapter of the course will have a 'podcast' at the end, with all the audio from that chapter. And we have decided to give you - our loyal podcast listeners - a free sample.

This episode is the actual podcast of the FULL INTRO section, setting out what the course is about, who it's for, and you get to meet LUCY.

Look at all this stuff we covered in this full episode:

• What the CLEAR® framework stands for
• Catch - how to deal with the stuff as it comes at you
• Locate - where to put it all
• Execute - how to set your day up for success
• Adapt - dealing with change and things that can de-rail your day
• Review - celebrating success and deciding what you wanna tweak
• Who it's for
• Some people struggle because they have no system to deal with stuff, others because their system isn't actually working
• Being MORE productive may not be the answer
• Why it's not about time management
• Time management isn't possible - you can't manage time!
• What you can manage is what you pay attention to in the time you have
• YOUR story
• This course is different - because we're not just giving you the solution
• We're also getting you to work out what that means to you
• How YOUR life could be different
• What YOU actually want to do
• It's not JUST for work - it's for LIFE
• Lucy's 'before story'
• We meet Lucy, and spend a day with her
• It's not fun - but you may be able to relate to some of her pain points
• Of course, CLEAR® offers solutions to some of those pain points
• In a later section - we revisit Lucy, and discover how different her world is after having applied the CLEAR® methodology
• The 3 Levels
• At Level 1 we're going to explain the framework and get you going at a basic level
• Level 2 will build on your experience, introducing some new tools, and more advanced techniques
• Level 3 (which we're calling the power level) will be the advanced level where we look at optimising the tools to work together, and to use with teams, family members and other people

If you like what we've shared, and want to either find out more, or go on the waiting list for the release, here are some contact details and links:

• Contact me for release information, and to join the waiting list email steve @sondevelopment.com
• The website CLEAR® page

To find out more about sondevelopment and how we can help you and your team:

• Check out the website to see what we do - sondevelopment.com
• Watch some of our YouTube videos
• Connect on social media - Instagram or LinkedIn

As always, we’re grateful for your help supporting this podcast. To do this, you can:

• Buy me a coffee (I’d be ever so grateful)
• Rate or subscribe on apple podcasts by going here – apple podcasts
• Contact us on Twitter – we are @sharppodcast here

Thanks EVER SO MUCH for listening. If we help you BE BETTER at what you do, it’s all been worth it!

Trigger warning – in this conversation we address (briefly – no details)…

·     Phobias – animals, dentists, tight spaces

·     Smoking, car accidents, domestic violence, domestic abuse, suicide, child loss

BUT...Sandie talks about bringing JOY to all these people’s lives. Listen to find out how she does it…

Look at all this stuff we covered in this full episode:

• How Sandie discovered the power of hypnotherapy – solving TWO problems
• Why Sandie is Nannie McAffee!
• Accessing the subconscious through relaxation
• NLP – Neuro Linguistic Programming
• Self-talk
• BLAST – Trauma therapy
• Nick Davies EMDR
• How Sandie took someone from an inability to get into a car – to a confident driver again
• The role of the Amygdala in trauma
• Having good intentions in how you talk to people
• Being kind – you don’t know what’s happening in their world
• How our self-talk has an impact
• The power of celebrating what we’ve done well
• How we as leaders and managers impact people by the way we talk to them
• The power of parents and the language we use with children
• “Melissa Tears – The anti-anxiety toolkit”
• “So…”
• Why a Mum told Sandie that she had brought her daughter ‘back to her’
• End-of-day journaling
• Cutting down on social media
• Why it’s easy to give up smoking
• Why it’s easy to start – it’s not the cigarette!
• Why smoking might not be the problem
• Writing a letter
• The empty chair
• Getting to the route cause of what’s holding you back
• Talking to someone is the solution
• Be kind
• The anti-stress exercises (they’re at the end – after the music)

If you’re affected by any of the things we talked about, here are some contact details:

Sandie's contact details:

• Tel - 07990776718
• Website
• Facebook
• LinkedIn

• Samaritans - Tel 116 123
• Sandie’s relaxation exercise link

Some links to the resource we’ve talked about…

• Melissa Tears and her book - The Anti-Anxiety Toolkit
• Portsmouth Business Exchange
• Spark Community Space
• Penny Plimmer Photography – amazing photographer see the cover image
• The Tenth Hole - amazing cakes!
• The Queens Hotel Southsea
• Nick Davies BLAST therapy

To find out more about sondevelopment and how we can help you and your team:

• Check out the website to see what we do - sondevelopment.com
• Watch some of our YouTube videos
• Connect on social media - Instagram or LinkedIn

As always, we’re grateful for your help supporting this podcast. To do this, you can:

• Buy me a coffee (I’d be ever so grateful)
• Rate or subscribe on apple podcasts by going here – apple podcasts
• Contact us on Twitter – we are @sharppodcast here

Thanks EVER SO MUCH for listening. If we help you BE BETTER at what you do, it’s all been worth it!

As Melanie says in the opening line - "The biggest relationship we will ever have in our life, is the one we have with our body".

As so begins a fabulous conversation about movement. And it may not be quite what you expect

Look at all this stuff we covered in this full episode:

• What does Melanie mean by moving?
• 700/200
• Mel’s experience movement beating cancer
• Sedentary jobs – why lack of movement not great
• Fitness vs movement – not the same thing
• Why people aren't moving properly
• The GAIT cycle from Anatomy in Motion
• 2 reasons why walking and mobile phones don’t mix
• Tips to get moving in your day
• In your chair
• Standing up
• Walking
• Other interesting stuff
• Our brain needs time to do nothing
• Relationships between two people with different working characteristics
• Self-employed vs employed
• Corporate structured vs informal unstructured
• Main breadwinner – senior player – important
• Tips on how to help
• ABBA-themed dance holidays
• Watching paint dry!
• Portsmouth Business Exchange - check it out if you're in/near Portsmouth

To connect with Melanie and find out more about movement:

• Melanie's Website
• Linkedin
• Instagram
• Facebook - Melanie
• Facebook - Movement Junkie

Early on in the chat, we mention Penny Plimmer. Penny is an amazing woman who (among many things) has a real talent for connecting people. Not only a great networker, Penny runs a photography business and created the image of Melanie that we've used in this episode. Penny describes her company as a place where 'great pictures aren't expensive, they're priceless'. Check her out:

• Penny's LinkedIn
• The photography account on Facebook
• Japics Website

To find out more about sondevelopment and how we can help you and your team:

• Check out the website to see what we do - sondevelopment.com
• Watch some of our YouTube videos
• Connect on social media - Instagram or LinkedIn

As always, we’re grateful for your help supporting this podcast. To do this, you can:

• Buy me a coffee (I’d be ever so grateful)
• Rate or subscribe on apple podcasts by going here – apple podcasts
• Contact us on Twitter – we are @sharppodcast here

Thanks EVER SO MUCH for listening. If we help you BE BETTER at what you do, it’s all been worth it!

This month we're listening again to our episode where we challenge the notion that 'positive' is automatically good. We hope you enjoy it!...

Episode 25 - This week, we challenge the idea that being 'positive' is always the best approach. In fact, we discovered some research that suggests it could even hold you back:

Some of the stuff in there is:

• Astonishment at our global listener group
• Me failing to greet our listeners in a few different languages
• The glass half full half empty scenario - it might not be helpful
• How social media can make us feel like our lives are half empty
• Our discovery of where we are in the world on income
• Try it yourself; you may be surprised - How Rich Am I?
• How positive thinking influenced my ability to pass a test
• Steve-in-the-field goes to the races to prove me wrong
• A Washington Post article - interview of Susan David challenging forced positive thinking
• Hidden Brain podcast by NPR - featuring professor Gabriele Oettingen
• Her article in the New York Post
• What Joel Minden says in Psychology Today - about challenging beliefs
• WOOP! - Here's an explainer video
• Professor Oettingen's talk at - New York University
• The Rethinking Positive Thinking book - UK link to purchase
• The Rethinking Positive Thinking book - US link to purchase

To find out more about sondevelopment and how we can help you and your team:

• Check out the website to see what we do - sondevelopment.com
• Watch some of our YouTube videos
• Connect on social media - Instagram or LinkedIn

As always, we’re grateful for your help supporting this podcast. To do this, you can:

• Buy me a coffee (I’d be ever so grateful)
• Rate or subscribe on apple podcasts by going here – apple podcasts
• Contact us on Twitter – we are @sharppodcast here

No matter what you do, at some point, you've got to deal with money. You may even need to account for money professionally.

Many of us don't enjoy it and don't find it interesting. And yet, if we could get better at dealing with our finances, we're highly likely to operate better and get better results.

So I decided to talk to an expert - Hayley Jones - the non-stereotypical accountant.

Whether you're employed, self-employed, or run a business - I'm confident you'll find something in our conversation that will help you.

Look at all this stuff we covered in this full episode:

• Why have a good accountant?
• How can it reduce stress and help you focus on what matters to you?
• The joys of self-employment
• Ten terms demystified (We ask the dumb questions, so you don't have to!)
• Top tips
• Managing finances
• Managing time
• Planning
• Productivity

To connect with Hayley and find out more about a non-stereotypical accountant:

• Hayley Jones BFP ACA LinkedIn
• HB Associates Website
• Instagram
• Facebook

To find out more about sondevelopment and how we can help you and your team:

• Check out the website to see what we do - sondevelopment.com
• Watch some of our YouTube videos
• Connect on social media - Instagram or LinkedIn

As always, we’re grateful for your help supporting this podcast. To do this, you can:

• Buy me a coffee (I’d be ever so grateful)
• Rate or subscribe on apple podcasts by going here – apple podcasts
• Contact us on Twitter – we are @sharppodcast here

Thanks EVER SO MUCH for listening. If we help you BE BETTER at what you do, it’s all been worth it!

This time it's a second outing for our Work-Life Balance episode. We hope you enjoy it!...

Episode 70 – We investigate the idea of work-life balance. What is it? Is it really a thing? How do we get it? 

Look at all this stuff we covered:

• What really IS work-life balance?
• Why much of the advice seems to be unhelpful
• It means different things to different people
• Three different perspectives from the ‘TED’ stage
• It is important and urgent for us to solve
• Work-life balance is a fallacy
• We could revisit our perspective
• Steve-In-The-Field’s adverts are definitely unhelpful!
• What happens if you ‘google’ family-life balance or hobby-life balance
• Considering the research, what are the practical steps?

Take up Shawn Achor’s DAILY challenge for 21 days

• Write down 3 gratitudes
• Journal 1 thing that went well because of you
• Exercise
• Mediate
• Perform 1 Random Act of Kindness

Take stock of your life

• Look at the whole picture
• Consider everything
• Michael Hyatt’s 10 domains can help:
• Social
• Parental
• Marital
• Physical
• Emotional
• Intellectual
• Spiritual
• Financial
• Avocational (hobbies)
• Vocational (work)

Set goals for the two or three you want to improve

• Be specific
• How would you feel?
• What would be happening?

Work out the little things

• What are the little things you can do, which will support the bigger goals?
• How will you measure if you’re doing the little things?
• Keep a record…
• Make a commitment…
• Log a daily streak…
• How do we consider ‘work’ in light of these new plans?
• Boundaries
• Commitments
• Choices with intention
• Let us know how YOU got on – all the links and research are below

Here are the links to the resource where you can find out more:

• Wikipedia’s unhelpful definition
• Mental Health Foundation’s study
• Reed’s article
• Forbes and the evolving definition of work-life balance
• Steve’s plumbing work?
• Nigel Marsh’s TED Talk – It’s a problem to be solved
• Michael Walters’ TED Talk – Is it a fallacy?
• Shawn Achor’s TED Talk – Being happy in work (I love this talk so much)
• Houses On Line’s delivery standards?
• BBC stats on global pay scales
• Qora answers on salary
• Michael Hyatt’s Life Score Assessment

Thanks EVER SO MUCH for listening. If we help you to BE BETTER at what you do, then it’s all been worth it!

Music and effects in this episode courtesy of:

https://freesound.org/people/Benboncan/sounds/91924/

Neon Laser Horizon by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/7015-neon-laser-horizon

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Aurea Carmina by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4982-aurea-carmina

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

This time it's a second outing for our Pomodoro story. We hope you enjoy it!...

Episode 33 - We go on a journey from modern-day Manchester to 1980s Rome and learn how you can solve YOUR procrastination problems.

Some of the USEFUL stuff in there is:



• Who on earth is Bradley Griffin
• Why is he in Starbucks? (The clue is that the episode is about procrastination)
• What that's got to do with 1980s Italy
• How a student there had some problems, and why it matters to you how he solved them
• The Pomodoro Technique
• The basic steps:
• Step 1 - Get the tools: a timer, a piece of paper, and a pencil
• Step 2 - Turn off distractions, and be clear on what piece of work you're going to do
• Step 3- Set the timer for 25 minutes
• Step 4 - Start working, really focus, and just work. During the 25 minutes, if something comes up that could distract you, make a note of it on the piece of paper and carry on working
• Step 5 - When the timer goes off, step away from your work
• Find out more from Cirillo Company on the technique
• What Lisa and I think about it
• The more advanced elements
• The original book - the link to purchase the original is here
• A cool YouTube video by Francesco D'Alessio on apps you can use
• If I'm not somewhere that I can use a 'tomato timer', my go-to Pomodoro App is Tide

If you have customers, have a team who helps customers, or in any way engage with customers in your organisation – you need to know what Every Customer Wants®. 

It will give you remarkable solutions to all those problematic challenges you face every day.

Hospitality, healthcare, call centres, after-care, retail, web support (the list goes on). Customers have high expectations and, rightly so, demand great service.

And it’s actually very simple to deliver. 

Look at all this stuff we covered in this full episode:

• Getting the service edge
• The research on customer experience
• NPS scores
• CSAT results
• Mystery shop evaluations
• Recorded calls
• Customer focus groups
• Three components
• Understand me
• Add value for me
• Make it easy for me
• Why listening is important
• Get inside their world
• Making a difference
• The human experience
• The impact on customer loyalty of the effort they have to make
• Patterns which connect
• Nuggets of gold
• Customer experience management

All the resources we discussed:

• Nick’s website – Every Customer Wants
• The Motivation Agency – Every Customer Wants ONLINE
• My website – sondevelopment.com
• The sondevelopment YouTube account
• The voiceover Twitter account
• Sondevelopment on Instagram

As always, we’re grateful for your help supporting this podcast. To do this, you can:

• Buy me a coffee (I’d be ever so grateful)
• Rate or subscribe on apple podcasts by going here – apple podcasts
• Contact us on Twitter – we are @sharppodcast here

Thanks EVER SO MUCH for listening. If we help you BE BETTER at what you do, it’s all been worth it!

Last time we checked out – Continue & Begin Fast Coaching.

This time, it’s the turn of Meerkat Selling®. 

If you (or your team) are helping customers to buy things, this one is for you.

Look at all this stuff we covered in this full episode:

• What Meerkat Selling is all about 
• The emotional factors that impact customers
• The common thread of feelings
• Moving towards – or away from
• 1000’s of hours of Mystery Shopping – what Nick learned
• Patterns of Success
• Patterns that had LESS success
• Communication
• Keeping it simple – 5 steps
• Getting rid of complicated sales processes
• How being like a ‘Meerkat’ helps

All the resources we discussed:

• The Meerkat Selling book
• Nick’s website – Meerkat Selling
• The Motivation Agency – Meerkat Selling ONLINE
• My website – sondevelopment.com
• The sondevelopment YouTube account
• The voiceover Twitter account
• Sondevelopment on Instagram

As always, we’re grateful for your help supporting this podcast. To do this, you can:

• Buy me a coffee (I’d be ever so grateful)
• Rate or subscribe on apple podcasts by going here – apple podcasts
• Contact us on Twitter – we are @sharppodcast here

Thanks EVER SO MUCH for listening. If we help you BE BETTER at what you do, it’s all been worth it!

(Unless you’re listening to this in the back catalogue – in which case, we never went away!)

This is the first in a trilogy where we share a conversation I had with Nick Drake-Knight about the origins of his fabulous work. Nick helps people with a wide range of skills, from selling to service and all sorts in between.

In this short episode, we learn about the origins of Nick’s fabulous coaching model – Continue & Begin Fast Coaching®. 

If you (or your team) have regular conversations with people to help them improve in some area of their life or their performance, this one is for you.

Look at all this stuff we covered in this full episode:

• What approach we’re taking to episodes now – more relaxed!
• Joining sharppodcast and sondevelopment
• What Continue & Begin Fast Coaching® is
• The brilliant organisations using it
• Feeling good
• Room C46a (?)
• Confidence and anxiety
• Celebrating success
• Working under pressure
• Ego strengthening
• Recognising your own talent
• Confidence and resourcefulness
• How it works for people who are employed or not
• The sectors it can help in
• Business
• Retail
• The Public Sector
• Family Support
• Education
• Fun!

All the resources we discussed:

• The Fast Coaching Book
• The Audiobook (produced by yours truly!)
• Nick’s website – Fast Coaching
• The Motivation Agency – Fast Coaching ONLINE
• My website – sondevelopment.com
• The sondevelopment YouTube account
• The voiceover Twitter account
• Sondevelopment on Instagram

As always, we’re really grateful for your help in supporting this podcast. To do this you can:

• Buy me a coffee (I’d be ever so grateful)
• Rate or subscribe on apple podcasts by going here – apple podcasts
• Contact us on Twitter – we are @sharppodcast here

Thanks EVER SO MUCH for listening. If we help you BE BETTER at what you do, it’s all been worth it!

Look at all this stuff we covered in this full episode:

• Why I’m at the kitchen table
• What I’ve been up to since the last episode
• Who Karl Craig-West is
• Moving to self-employment
• Helping businesses improve performance
• Marketing
• Making videos
• Social media
• Perfectionism – (It was actually episode 47!)
• Not working long hours
• Juggling chainsaws
• Why it’s crucial to have a system that supports you
• Can anyone be self-employed?
• The importance of goals
• Why we don’t want a Ferrari
• Having a plan
• The Big 3
• What a newly self-employed person should do quickly
• The daily task
• Planning your life – not just your job
• Why sharppodcast has been quiet

All the resources we discussed:

• How to Win Friends and Influence People – Dale Carnegie
• Karl’s website
• The Smashing Self Employment Podcast
• His LinkedIn Profile
• Karl’s YouTube channel
• My LinkedIn Profile
• sondevelopment.com
• The sondevelopment YouTube account
• The voiceover Twitter account

As always, we’re really grateful for your help in supporting this podcast. To do this, you can:

• Buy me a coffee (I’d be ever so grateful)
• Rate or subscribe on apple podcasts by going here – apple podcasts
• Contact us on Twitter – we are @sharppodcast here

Thanks EVER SO MUCH for listening. If we help you to BE BETTER at what you do, then it’s all been worth it!

Look at all this stuff we covered in this full episode:

• Moving house and rebuilding the studio
• New jobs 
• Building the business (have a look if you’re interested):
• sondevelopment
• Doing face to face training again
• Creating my own digital content (have a look if you’re interested)
• sondevelopment – YouTube channel
• Review of our episodes this year – click each one to listen in full:
• Looking Ahead – STP069
• Work-Life Balance – STP070
• Meditation Benefits – STP071
• Casanova Brooks – STP072
• Quick Update
• Joy & Deadlines with Suzy The Casual Birder STP073
• Resilience & Smart Culture with Mark Billage STP074
• Physical and Mental Fitness with Aaron Morton – STP075
• Approaching 2022 – the alternative to New Year Resolutions
• The Forbes article on why New Year’s Resolutions Fail
• Focus on progress – not the goals
• Having a decent toolkit:
• Accountability to someone
• Daily external reminders as to why you’re doing this
• Apps to show your progress
• Read about the thing you’re trying to change
• Tell lots of people
• Make a video of yourself to remind you why you’re doing it when it’s tricky
• Take a picture of your face every day (optional!)
• Record milestones
• Journal and document what’s better about your new lifestyle
• Finally, we scanned through all the subjects we’ve covered in 4 years – WOW!
• Have a listen to the episodes you’ve missed during the Xmas to New Year break

As always, we’re really grateful for your help in supporting this podcast. To do this you can:

• Buy me a coffee (I’d be ever so grateful)
• Rate or subscribe on apple podcasts by going here – apple podcasts
• Contact us on Twitter – we are @sharppodcast here

Look at all this stuff we covered in this full episode:

• How Aaron helps people with habits:
• Eating
• Breathing
• Sleeping
• Movement
• General Physical Preparedness – GPP
• Specific Physical Preparedness – SPP
• Work-Life Balance
• Happiness and confidence
• Coaching people to fitness
• His approach to managing time 
• Lists
• Breaking tasks down
• Components
• Steven King’s routine
• Seinfeld chain method
• Core stability
• Relationships 
• Creating a framework to support it
• Weekly planning
• General Relationship Preparedness (GRP we invented this! Copyright Steve and Aaron®)
• Emotional eating – The Health Protocol
• Willpower versus habit
• Alcohol

Here are the links to the resource we talked about:

• Aaron’s website – AMT
• Instagram – @aaronmortonco
• YouTube channel – Aaron Morton Training
• Facebook – Fit By Health
• Breath – James Nestor 
• Wim Hof Method
• Parasympathetic nervous system
• Why We Sleep – Matthew Walker
• GPP
• Jocko Willink podcast
• Keith Johnstone – Improvisation
• Steven King’s 13 Writing Tips
• Seinfeld method – the chain
• The Stanford Marshmallow Test
• Anthony Keidis – Scar Tissue
• sondevelopment.com

As always, we’re really grateful for your help in supporting this podcast. To do this, you can:

• Buy me a coffee (I’d be ever so grateful)
• Rate or subscribe on apple podcasts by going here – apple podcasts

Thanks EVER SO MUCH for listening. If we help you to BE BETTER at what you do, then it’s all been worth it!

Episode 74 – This is a JAM-PACKED conversation. We chatted with Mark Billage from Smartculture.UK about resilience, communication, leadership and loads more. Listen to the end, where we talk about his brand-new book. This one is WELL WORTH an hour of your time!

Look at all this stuff we covered in this full episode:

• Blue socks!
• Smart Culture
• Leadership and culture
• Joy
• Communication
• The 5 Voices
• Being self-aware
• Understanding people better
• The impact of your voice
• Cross-cultural training
• Culture shock
• “I See You” Mark’s book about leadership principles
• Resilience
• Ability to bounce back
• Flexibility
• It’s not fixed – you can develop it
• It’s about being able to deal with change
• Nelson Mandela
• Why learning is an important part
• Being realistic about where you are at, not optimistic
• Getting perspective
• Coaching
• Personal Development
• Being curious for life
• Mark’s productivity
• Get clear on what you’re doing
• Use a diary
• Create spaces
• Prioritise
• Use to-do lists well
• Choose a time of day based on your energy levels

Here are the links to the resource we talked about:

• Smart Culture
• Mark’s course on resilience
• Mark on Linked In
• The Book – I See You
• Sawubona – The Zulu greeting
• Nelson Mandela’s biography
• Good to Great – Jim Collins
• Viktor Frankl – Why Meaning Matters an interview from 1963
• Mary Johnson who forgave her son’s killer
• The Dream Job Coach – Louise Jenner
• Clifton strengths
• Insights – Colours and self-awareness

As always, we’re really grateful for your help in supporting this podcast. To do this, you can:

• Buy me a coffee (I’d be ever so grateful)
• Rate or subscribe on apple podcasts by going here – apple podcasts
• Contact us on Twitter – we are @sharppodcast here

Thanks EVER SO MUCH for listening. If we help you to BE BETTER at what you do, then it’s all been worth it!

Look at all this stuff we covered in this full episode:

• Peach socks!
• Learning is about a journey not a destination
• Focusing on today
• Being confined unlocking joy
• Loads of helpful systems
• Trello
• Notion
• To-do ist
• Kanban
• Checklists
• Templates
• Prioritisation challenges
• Deadlines creating flexibility and space
• Weekly planners for family time
• Visualising great outcomes

Here is the resource we talked about:

• The Casual Birder website
• Casual Birder on Instagram
• The Twitter account
• The Trello app
• Notion
• To-doist
• The Kanban system
• Checklists – The Checklist Manifesto
• Templates

As always, we’re really grateful for your help in supporting this podcast. To do this you can:

• Buy me a coffee (I’d be ever so grateful)
• Rate or subscribe on apple podcasts by going here – apple podcasts
• Contact us on Twitter – we are @sharppodcast here

Thanks EVER SO MUCH for listening. If we help you to BE BETTER at what you do, then it’s all been worth it!

Look at all this stuff we covered in this full episode:

• Being a parent and how his children inspire him
• Getting away from trading time for money
• Growing up with no Dad
• What ‘monopoly’ has to do with his success in real estate
• His ‘why’ (it’s not real estate)
• Building relationships
• BHAG goals
• Why podcasting gives him the most satisfaction
• Work-life harmony
• The 40 40 40
• How many cats there are
• The three E’s
• And LOADS more 

Here is the resource we talked about:

• Dream Nation – Casanova’s community to help you build your dream
• Dream Nation Podcast – Jack Canfield episode
• Rich Dad Poor Dad – Robert Kiyosaki
• Richest Man in Babylon – George Clason
• Go For No – Richard Fenton and Andrea Waltz
• The Millionaire Fast Lane – MJ Demarco
• Chicken Soup for the Soul – Jack Canfield
• The Success Principles – Jack Canfield
• Jim Rohn
• E-Myth – Michael Gerber
• Rocket Fuel – Gino Wickman 
• Grant Cardone
• Dean Graziosi

As always, we’re really grateful for your help in supporting this podcast. To do this you can:

• Buy me a coffee (I’d be ever so grateful)
• Rate or subscribe on apple podcasts by going here – apple podcasts
• Contact us on Twitter – we are @sharppodcast here

Thanks EVER SO MUCH for listening. If we help you to BE BETTER at what you do, then it’s all been worth it!

Look at all the stuff we covered in this short episode:

• The YouTube video this came from
• Modern meditation doesn’t need candles or the lotus position (unless you want them)
• Dan Harris and his panic attack live on air
• How he learned that meditation could help him 
• A bit of science research (it’s actually Martinos centre – but don’t tell anyone!)
• Some kinds of meditation
• Mindfulness
• Compassion (sometimes called ‘loving kindness’)
• Body scans
• Transcendental
• How I’ve benefitted
• Calm
• Lose the inner chatter
• Separating the match and the fuse
• How to do it
• Where the resource is

Here is the resource that we use and you may find helpful:

• Dan’s panic attack
• 10 Percent Happier App and Podcast
• Calm
• Headspace
• Jack Kornfield
• A YouTube channel we use for guided meditation
• The Martinos Centre research

As always, we’re really grateful for your help in supporting this podcast. To do this, you can:

• Buy me a coffee (I’d be ever so grateful)
• Rate or subscribe on apple podcasts by going here – apple podcasts
• Contact us on Twitter – we are @sharppodcast here

Thanks EVER SO MUCH for listening. If we help you to BE BETTER at what you do, then it’s all been worth it!

Look at all this stuff we covered:

• What really IS work-life balance?
• Why much of the advice seems to be unhelpful
• It means different things to different people
• Three different perspectives from the ‘TED’ stage
• It is important and urgent for us to solve
• Work-life balance is a fallacy
• We could revisit our perspective
• Steve-In-The-Field’s adverts are definitely unhelpful!
• What happens if you ‘google’ family-life balance or hobby-life balance
• Considering the research, what are the practical steps?

Take up Shawn Achor’s DAILY challenge for 21 days

• Write down 3 gratitudes
• Journal 1 thing that went well because of you
• Exercise
• Mediate
• Perform 1 Random Act of Kindness

Take stock of your life

• Look at the whole picture
• Consider everything
• Michael Hyatt’s 10 domains can help:
• Social
• Parental
• Marital
• Physical
• Emotional
• Intellectual
• Spiritual
• Financial
• Avocational (hobbies)
• Vocational (work)

Set goals for the two or three you want to improve

• Be specific
• How would you feel?
• What would be happening?

Work out the little things

• What are the little things you can do, which will support the bigger goals?
• How will you measure if you’re doing the little things?
• Keep a record…
• Make a commitment…
• Log a daily streak…
• How do we consider ‘work’ in light of these new plans?
• Boundaries
• Commitments
• Choices with intention
• Let us know how YOU got on – all the links and research are below

Here are the links to the resource where you can find out more:

• Wikipedia’s unhelpful definition
• Mental Health Foundation’s study
• Reed’s article
• Forbes and the evolving definition of work-life balance
• Steve’s plumbing work?
• Nigel Marsh’s TED Talk – It’s a problem to be solved
• Michael Walters’ TED Talk – Is it a fallacy?
• Shawn Achor’s TED Talk – Being happy in work (I love this talk so much)
• Houses On Line’s delivery standards?
• BBC stats on global pay scales
• Qora answers on salary
• Michael Hyatt’s Life Score Assessment

As always, we’re really grateful for your help in supporting this podcast. To do this, you can:

• Buy me a coffee (I’d be ever so grateful)
• Rate or subscribe on apple podcasts by going here – apple podcasts
• Contact us on Twitter – we are @sharppodcast here

Thanks EVER SO MUCH for listening. If we help you to BE BETTER at what you do, then it’s all been worth it!

Music and effects in this episode courtesy of:

https://freesound.org/people/Benboncan/sounds/91924/

Neon Laser Horizon by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/7015-neon-laser-horizon

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Aurea Carmina by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4982-aurea-carmina

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Look at all this stuff we covered:

• Moving house
• Building the new studio
• Top tips to use ToDoIst with a big project
• A friend of the show, Laurie, pops in to say hi
• Our ideas for the coming year
• The kitchen table - new house, new ideas
• Dealing with change
• Nothing's perfect
• Nothing's permanent
• Nothing's personal
• Q&A - send us your questions, ask us anything

As always, we're really grateful for your help in supporting this podcast. To do this, you can:

• Buy me a coffee (I'd be ever so grateful)
• Rate or subscribe on apple podcasts by going here - apple podcasts
• Contact us on Twitter - we are @sharppodcast here

Thanks EVER SO MUCH for listening. If we help you to BE BETTER at what you do, then it's all been worth it!

Look at all this stuff we covered:

• What’s new for sharppodcast:
• Making videos
• New formats for some episodes
• Covering current subjects
• Then we do a quick visit to each episode, like a taster menu, but better:
• January – STP058 Mind Maps
• February – Sharing Is Caring
• March – STP059 Laurie Jeffery
• April – STP060 Help With Change
• May – STP061 To Do With Todoist
• May – STP062 To Do With Todoist 2
• June – STP063 Todo Level 3 and Top Tips
• August – STP064 10 Cognitive Biases Spoiling Your Thinking
• August – STP065 Resource Roundup
• October – STP066 The ALPEN Method
• November – STP067 Resource Roundup
• December – STP068 Reflecting…oh, hang on, that’s this episode!
• Steve and Lisa back at the Kitchen Table
• Sharppodcast episodes from 2020
• How 2020 has demanded more focus on home life
• Moving house
• The weekly planner
• Our weekly ‘meeting’ (if you want to know more about this, let us know)
• Walking to work
• Why winning the lottery doesn’t necessarily make you happy
• Treating personal goals the same as work goals
• Getting vaccinated
• Hugs!
• Jeff Wayne’s War of The Worlds – Here’s the official website, if you haven’t heard this, you DEFINITELY need to find out about it

As always, we’re really grateful for your help in supporting this podcast. To do this, you can:

• Buy me a coffee (I’d be ever so grateful)
• Rate or subscribe on apple podcasts by going here – apple podcasts
• Contact us on Twitter – we are @sharppodcast here

Thanks EVER SO MUCH for listening. If we help you to BE BETTER at what you do, then it’s all been worth it!

Look at all this stuff we covered:

• Procrastination
• Time chunks
• Your 'why' and your 'how'
• Mindsets and self-sabotage
• Damaging your brain
• Dealing with overwhelming to-do lists
• Recharging
• Taking things personally
• Meditation

Here are the links to the resource where you can find out more:

• Robert Taibbi - 8 Steps to Overcome Procrastination
• Bryan Robinson - Procrastination a Friend Without Benefits
• Accidental Creative - Time Chunks
• My Instagram post - Work on your 'why' to help your 'how'
• Celine Da Costa - Stop Self Sabotage
• Best Brain Possible - 7 Modern Lifestyle Habits Damaging Your Brain
• Zen Habits - Overwhelming Todo Lists
• My Instagram post - Recharging
• Lachlan Brown - 11 Tips to Stop Taking Things Personally
• Hackspirit - 25 Surprising Meditation Tips
• (And as promised, just for you, here are the links):
• Headspace
• Ten Percent Happier
• Jessica Abel - Hell Yeah! Or Hell No!
• My pic of the tree inspiring my thoughts on change

Look at all this stuff we covered:

• Why it's different from other to-do list methods
• You don't have to work long hours to be effective
• Professor Lothar J Seiwert - who is he?
• Why we don't like the word 'productivity' (again)
• Two acronyms (depending on your language):
• Activities
• Length
• Plan Buffer
• Establish Priorities
• Note Success
• OR:
• Aufschreiben
• Lange schatzen
• Pufferzeit einplannen
• Entscheidungen Treffen
• Nachkontrolle
• Activities - Get them written down
• Length - Work out how long each one will take
• Plan Buffer - Add in 40% (we tell you why)
• Establish priorities - Decide on which ones you're going to focus on
• Note Success - Review the day and identify what worked well
• The Sydney Opera House planning disaster
• What Helmuth Von Moltke the Elder said
• Reviewing your list every week
• The Two-Minute Rule

Here are the links to the resource where you can find out more:



• OECD stats working hours across the world
• How to prioritise
• Episode 7 - Habits and the Write Stuff (featuring Eisenhower Matrix)
• Professor Lothar J Seiwert talking about what he does
• Find out more about Lothar J Seiwert
• Yodelling: Astounded Christopher J Astbury Switzerland

Look at all this stuff we covered:

• Brain hacks
• 3 daily habits
• Goals
• Today is unique
• Stop taking things personally
• Can we trust our brain
• Stress and burnout
• Habits and streaks
• Doing more
• Past, present and future
• Stress
• Process instead of goals and targets

Here are the links to the resource where you can find out more:

• Entrepreneur.com - Brain Hacks to boost motivation/beat the work from home blues
• Success.com - 3 things successful people do daily
• Psychology Today - Wide awake at 2 am?
• Michael Hyatt - 4 ways to make daily progress on goals
• Sharppodcast on Instagram - Today is never going to happen again
• Hackspirit.com - 11 ways to stop taking things personally
• Psychology Today - Can we trust our brains?
• Psychology Today - I miss the old 'me'
• Lifehacker - You don't truly build a habit until you break your streak
• Psychology Today - Do more by doing less
• Sharppodcast on Instagram - thoughts about the past and future are all in the present moment
• Psychology Today - Stress can be good for you
• Lifehack - Why people who focus more on the process than the goal gain more from life

Look at all this stuff we covered:

• What cognitive biases are
• How they affect us
• Why your brain is SO effective - and that's the problem
• How not to make a cup of tea
• Our top 10 chart of biases
• The difference between sharks, selfies and coconuts
• THE IDIOT (and his lockdown diary)

Here are the links to the resource where you can find out more:

• Buster Benson's image showing 200 cognitive biases
• The Visual Capitalist - 24 Cognitive Biases
• The Scientific American article on the role of luck in success
• "Thinking Fast and Slow" by Daniel Kahneman
• The excellent VeryWellMind article on biases
• Ted-X talk on the Dunning Kruger effect
• Myles on the Just World hypothesis
• Vicky and her amazing art at Etsy
• Jessica Abel's Creative Focus Workshop
• Laura Gassner Otting
• The Woo Long Talks podcast
• Run With Me On This podcast

Look at all this stuff we covered:

• We meet Theresa - she's a 'Level 3' kind of person
• Sharing files - so others can help you with the project
• Filters - to keep track of everything
• Needless references to Findus Crispy Pancakes AGAIN
• The 'Teams Plan' on todoist
• Summarising Level 1 - The things Wanda might do:
• Simple to-do lists
• Shopping Lists
• Summarising Level 2 - What Emma could use it for:
• Projects
• Actions
• Recurring tasks
• Labels
• Prioritising
• Karma
• Gamification
• Productivity
• Summarising Level 3 - The sophisticated stuff for Theresa:
• Sharing files
• Uploading files
• Complex projects
• Assigning tasks
• Using Slack and Dropbox
• Filters to manage it all
• Whether you use todoist or not - our Ten Task Managing Take-Aways:
• Capture things well - either in a notebook, on paper, or electronically
• Keep a master list of ALL your tasks somewhere
• Review it regularly once a week, moving things from your master list to places where you will come across them when you need to on an app, a calendar or a diary
• Use 'Projects' if something has 2 or more actions
• For each action, write it down starting with the verb (the action word) e.g. "Write the..." "Call..." "List..."
• Group tasks together by contexts - where you will do them
• Carry out the tasks in batches - do similar things together (phone calls, check e-mails, brain-dead stuff, focus stuff etc.)
• Keep a record of what you've done and reflect at the end of the day
• Review what you've got for the next day - plan to do the task you enjoy LEAST first
• Plan the good stuff in, too - don't assume it will just happen

The resource and links to find out more



• Real people doing real things with todoist
• Uploading files in todoist
• Using Slack
• David Allen on projects
• Why using 'contexts' is a good idea
• The benefits of journaling and reflecting at the end of each day
• Eating the frog

Look at all this stuff we covered:

• We meet 'Emma' who has different stuff going on in her life - work stuff, hobby stuff, home stuff - and she manages it all with todo lists on paper and spreadsheets
• Projects - they're not just for big things like building hospitals
• Preparing Lucy's birthday celebration is a project
• Learning the guitar is a project
• Be clear on what the tasks are for your project
• Why you MUST get flames painted on the Volvo
• How todoist can help you manage projects
• Why you might consider the premium package
• A sentimental 'lockdown' reminiscence of going for a coffee
• Labels - grouping 'like' tasks together
• Batching - a great way to work
• Deciding which tasks to do when
• My labels:
• 5 min job
• 10 min job
• full focus
• low energy
• phone
• pc
• Using todoist's fabulous 'natural language' to set up multiple recurring tasks and put them in the right place at the right time:
• "Choose colour of #flames @pc on Saturday at 3 pm"
• "Check Facebook every weekday at 9 am #social @mobile"
• Karma - why it's vital, but all other task managers miss it out
• Gamification
• Neopolitan Ice Cream bar charts (this is mine)...
• Emma has now:
• Grouped all her different activities into projects
• Set up recurring tasks
• Created labels so she could batch tasks together
• Learned guitar
• Gained a sense of accomplishment and achievement

Here are the links and the resource we used:



• Todoist's video on labels
• Foundations video - including viewing tasks in context
• An overview of what you can do with Premium
• A good article on batching. Note the name of the provider - I read it as "Metal Learners!"

Look at all this stuff we covered:



• Amir's story - the brains behind todoist
• How a 'rootless' upbringing seems to have resulted in a great business ethos
• If you're using pen and paper what could an app like todoist do for you?
• Freeing up your mental space
• Keeping track of what you've got on
• Introducing the 3 levels we're going to explore:
• Wanda - who doesn't like technology and has simple needs
• Emma - with a more sophisticated life, Emma has a need for something more structured to help her manage lots of variety
• Theresa - a full project and team manager who has complex needs
• Why I converted to todoist
• Level 1 (Wanda)
• Creating a shopping list
• Using Alexa - (if you have one, you might wanna turn it off while you're listening)
• Sharing lists with people (unless you've bought fungal foot powder)
• Setting up folders for her other stuff
• Setting up tasks for future activity - cutting the grass
• Recurring tasks - recycling and cuddles
• Using todoist's amazing 'Natural Language' to easily set tasks up
• The tasks we created looked like this:
• "Alexa - add Findus Crispy Pancakes to my shopping list"
• "Cut the grass on Saturday"
• "Take the recycling bins out every other Thursday at 7pm"
• "Cuddle my partner every other Wednesday" (perhaps don't do this)
• How todoist uses this natural language to put everything exactly where you need it, ready for action
• Using your inbox as your master list (this is level 1 don't forget)
• How all this can give Wanda (and you) clarity of mind
• Letting you try this all out before we move onto Level 2 in the next episode where we'll meet Emma

Here are the links to what you need, and where we did our research for the episode:



• Todoist features
• Integrating with Alexa
• Integrating with Google Assist
• Using Siri
• The difference between the inbox and a project (folder)
• Sharing folders like your shopping list (and other projects)
• Amir's interview on Founder Chats at Baremetrics

Look at all this stuff we covered:

• We chatted at the table and talked about
• Working from home - this is what can help:
• Set aside a dedicated area
• Plan your day with a structure
• Agree boundaries with the family
• Set a definite end time to the day
• Wear something different
• Doing 'Not-Work' from home:
• Set a schedule anyway - avoid the Netflix trap!
• Take baby steps
• Exercise
• Have a look at some online courses
• Be kind to others and yourself
• Change
• The change curve from Elizabeth Kübler-Ross
• The difference between a change and the emotion it brings
• 5 stages of change
• Denial and shock
• Anger
• Bargaining
• Depression
• Acceptance and integration
• What all this has to do with toilet paper
• Some practical steps you can take
• Identify the positives
• Think about change that you've experienced before
• Talk it out with someone
• Consider the worst that could happen
• Focus on what you CAN control
• Protect your well-being
• Doing some self-development or online courses
• Not all online courses are the same
• We looked at 5 different providers
• YouTube (you don't need a link do you?)
• The Open University
• The Great Courses (Plus)
• LinkedIn Learning
• Udemy
• You can also consider TedEd, Coursera, Alison, the Forum and more. Links to those and others can be found in this article from Lifehack

Further reading and information are available from the following places:

• The University of Exeter
• TedX - The Kate Braestrup talk
• Harvard Business Review
• Reachout Australia

Look at all this stuff we covered:



• Treating your commitment to people as important
• Why quality matters more than Stephen Spielberg
• How it's hard to find people who care
• Using great tools
• Working with good people
• Sharpening your tools
• How great calendar skills makes him a great photographer
• Preparing for the moment of scrutiny
• Asking for the 'impossible' and getting it
• Keeping your cool
• Why the guy who cleans the floor deserves time
• Not having a TV
• Why Sky called him weird, and he liked it
• Why social media is better than telly (a 'pre' corona-virus view!)

Find out more and see Laurie's work at:

• @laurieshots on Twitter
• @laurie.jeffery on Instagram
• Laurie's Website (Some adult content - discretion advised)

We also gave a shout out to amazing people who support, inspire or in some way have a part in keeping our podcast going. Here are their Twitter names and links to their work?

• Dan Benjamin - @DanBenjamin
• BritPodScene - @Britpodscene (no longer working)
• Comedy Geek Sketch Podcast - @comedy_geek1 or Comedy Geek Sketch Podcast 
• I Shake My Head Podcast - @i_shakemyhead or the I Shake My Head Podcast

Look at all this stuff we covered:

• What mind maps are
• Where they came from
• How they work
• What YOU can use them for
• Tony Buzan invented mind maps - he was a character
• 1970's BBC tv
• That idiot Steve In The Field makes another appearance

Our research came from here - find out more:



• Use Your Head from BBC TV in 1974
• How to Mind Map with Tony Buzan
• Hazel Wagner Ted - Mind Mapping
• Tony's Ted Talk (featuring elastic band boy)
• ImindQ - 10 real life uses of mind maps
• Visual Aids - the research document
• Science & Technology - Humans process visual data better

Finally - the links to the cool people we mentioned at the start - check them out:

• Lisa LinkedIn
• Voiceover people
• Mel's British voice
• Carrie's Voice
• Debby Barnes
• Guy Slocombe
• Audio production and help
• Chris Curran - Podcast Engineering School
• Mike Delgaudio - Booth Junkies
• Podcasters world - facebook group
• Podcast Editors - facebook group
• Smashing podcasts
• Which Murderer
• Release the Clowns
• The One You Feed
• The Casual Birder
• Yes But Why podcast

Look at all this stuff we covered:

• Being in the woods near THAT picnic table in the rotten weather
• 4 Seconds by Peter Bregman
• Change your habits and your life
• Dog-earing pages (yep!)
• The Getting Things Done Workbook by David Allen and Brandon Hall
• It's like David coming to your house and setting it all up with you
• The World Is F***ed by Mark Manson
• The thinking brain and the feeling brain (very cool)
• Philosophy, Narcissism, Religion - all the fun subjects
• But I read it twice in a week
• Talking To Strangers by Malcolm Gladwell
• Why people are rubbish at working out if you're lying
• How trained professionals get it horrifically wrong
• Audio - do you know how hard these people work to make sure you DON'T notice their work?

Here are the links to the books, research and articles which inspired we used to produce this episode:

• 4 Seconds
• Seth Godin - This is Marketing
• Entrepreneurs Library with Peter Bregman
• The GTD workbook
• GTD Brasil
• Our episode on GTD for Teens
• Thinking Fast and Slow - Daniel Kahneman 
• My favourite of the 4 books - Everything Is F*cked
• The audio book version
• Mark Manson's video about the book
• Talking to Strangers
• The audio book version
• Revisionist History - The Queen of Cuba
• Malcolm's explanation at Penguin
• The Sandra Bland footage
• Audio in film
• Adam Buxton's podcast