A Productive Conversation

Hosted by productivity strategist Mike Vardy, A Productive Conversation is a podcast that discusses tips, tools, tactics, and tricks that are designed to help you take your productivity, time management, goals, to do lists, habits, and workflow to new heights - both at work and at home. If you're looking to focus your efforts on getting the right things done and start living the good life, then this weekly conversational podcast – crafted in the tradition of Slate's Working, Back to Work, and HBR IdeaCast – is for you.

Business
Careers
Management
251
BONUS EPISODE: The 3 Minutes of TimeCrafting Se...
Another week, another bonus episode! This time I'm sharing with you all of the episodes I delivered on my discontinued 3 Minutes of TimeCrafting podcast from February of 2019.
77 min
252
How to Be Awesome at Your Job with Pete Mockaitis
On this episode I'm joined by Pete Mockaitis. Pete is, among plenty of other things, the founder of How to Be Awesome at Your Job and he hosts the popular podcast of the same name.
37 min
253
BONUS EPISODE: The 3 Minutes of TimeCrafting Se...
In the following bonus episode, I've combined all of the episodes from the March 2018 run of my now-concluded 3 Minutes of TimeCrafting podcast. The topics I discuss include:
25 min
254
Where The Action Is with J. Elise Keith
On this episode of the podcast, I'm joined by J. Elise Keith, co-founder of Lucid Meetings and author of Where The Action Is: The Meetings That Make or Break Your Organization. We dive into an area of our work lives that can have a direct impact on our overall productivity both individually and organizationally. That area is... meetings.
31 min
255
Doing Project 333 with Courtney Carver
I'm excited that my friend Courtney Carver returns for this episode of the program. We focus our conversation around her book Project 333: The Minimalist Fashion Challenge That Proves Less Really is So Much More, which is a project I've undertaken and am still committed to several years later!
34 min
256
How to Start Ugly with Chris Krimitsos
I'm happy to welcome Chris Krimitsos as the guest for this episode. Chris is a father, husband, community builder, and ever-evolving innovator. He loves people and their stories and has leveraged his gifts of connecting others to build communities around entrepreneurship, podcasting, and multimedia.
34 min
257
How to Be a Successful Speaker with Grant Baldwin
On this episode of the program, I'm joined by Grant Baldwin. Grant is the founder of The Speaker Lab, a training company that helps public speakers learn how to find and book speaking gigs. He's also the author of the book The Successful Speaker: Five Steps for Booking Gigs, Getting Paid, and Building Your Platform.
40 min
258
Well-Presented with Mike Pacchione
On this episode, I'm joined by my good friend Mike Pacchione. Mike is a speaking expert who helps presenters find their voice on stage. Hint: putting yourself in your speech, while scary, is a bit of a secret weapon for making your speech memorable.
51 min
259
The Responsibility Ethic with Adam Kreek
On this episode, I'm joined "in studio" by Adam Kreek. A two-time Olympian, Adam holds 60 international medals, including Olympic Gold, and multiple hall of fame inductions. Adam’s new book, The Responsibility Ethic, teaches us the how of self-leadership, driving personal and professional results in individuals and organizations.
54 min
260
Accomplish It with Mridu Parikh
On this episode I chat with Mridu Parikh, founder of Life Is Organized and author of Accomplish It: 7 Simple Actions to Get the Right Things Done and Achieve Your Goals.
41 min
261
All You Have to Do is Ask with Dr. Wayne Baker
On this episode of the podcast, I welcome Dr. Wayne Baker as my guest. Focusing on social capital, social networks, generosity, and positive organizations, Dr. Baker has published six books and contributed to such outlets as Harvard Business Review, Chief Executive Magazine, and Sloan Management Review. A frequent guest speaker and management consultant, Dr. Baker is a co-founder and board member of Give and Take Inc., developer of the collaboration technologies based on principles in his book All You Have to Do Is Ask.
38 min
262
Finding Success in Your Sphere with Zvi Band
On this episode of the program I’m joined by Zvi Band. Zvi is the cofounder and CEO of Contactually, a leading CRM platform for relationship-oriented businesses, and author of "Success is in Your Sphere." An engineer, developer, entrepreneur, and startup advisor, Zvi has been named a Washingtonian Tech Titan four times.
44 min
263
Keeping Productive with Francesco D'Alessio
This week on the program I'm joined by a guest I've been looking to chat with for a long time. Francesco D'Alessio runs Keep Productive, a YouTube show dedicated to helping people find the most suitable productivity software for their work and life needs. From helping decision-making to curbing switching, Keep Productive is passionate about helping you make long-term decisions about your software.
39 min
264
Overcoming Overwhelm with Dr. Samantha Brody
On this episode of the podcast, I'm joined by Dr. Samantha Brody. Dr. Samantha is a licensed naturopathic physician and acupuncturist, and the founder of Evergreen Natural Health Center in Portland, Oregon. For decades in her private practice and virtual consulting business Dr. Samantha has helped thousands of people transform their lives with her innovative, personalized approach. She is the author of Overcoming Overwhelm: Dismantle Your Stress from the Inside Out.
34 min
265
Freeing The Dream with Cliff Ravenscraft
On this episode of the podcast, I'm joined by Cliff Ravenscraft. For more than a decade, Cliff had been known as the Podcast Answer Man. He’s trained tens of thousands of individuals on how to successfully launch an audio podcast. Today, Cliff is a business and life coach. He mentors coaches, consultants, and thought leaders through the transition from their unfulfilling day job to their own responsible and profitable online business so that they can live the life of their dreams and do the work they feel most called to do in this world.
62 min
266
Starting Something Stupid with Richie Norton
On this episode of the podcast, I chat with Richie Norton. Riche is the award-winning, bestselling author of the book The Power of Starting Something Stupid (in 10+ languages) and Résumés Are Dead & What to Do About It. In 2019, Richie was ranked one of the world's top 100 business coaches by Dr. Marshall Goldsmith. He is an international speaker (including TEDx & Google Startup Grind) and serial entrepreneur.
51 min
267
Humor That Works with Andrew Tarvin
On this episode of The Productivityist Podcast, I'm joined by Andrew (Drew) Tarvin. Drew is the world’s first Humor Engineer teaching people how to get better results while having more fun. He is a best-selling author, has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and FastCompany, and his TEDx talk has been viewed over 4 million times.
44 min
268
How to Win the Day with Kris Ward
On this episode, I speak with Kris Ward. Kris is the director of a marketing and branding company and it was through her work there that she learned a great deal about productivity versus being busy. Her work with other small business professionals lead to the creation of Win The Hour Win The Day.
44 min
269
Crowdsourcing Paris with J.H. Bunting
On this episode of the program I speak with J.H. Bunting about the life of a writer and the making of his ambitious new book, Crowdsourcing Paris: Memoirs of a Travel Adventure.
45 min
270
The Seven Longest Yards with Chris Norton
On this episode, I have the pleasure of speaking with Chris Norton. Chris is a speaker, author, adoptive & foster parent. He suffered a severe spinal cord injury playing college football. However, seven years later joyfully conquered the challenge of walking his wife, Emily, down the aisle of his wedding.
42 min
271
The Daily Decision with Brian Dixon
On this episode I'm joined by Brian Dixon, the author of Start with Your People: The Daily Decision that Changes Everything. As a podcaster, conference speaker, and business coach, Brian is passionate about helping high potential leaders and teams thrive in a world of overwhelming options.
48 min
272
You Are Awesome with Neil Pasricha
On this episode of the podcast, I have the pleasure of being joined by the author of The Book of Awesome Series, Neil Pasricha. Neil thinks, writes, and speaks about intentional living, and on this episode he's going to share with me some of his insights from the book You Are Awesome: How to Navigate Change, Wrestle with Failure, and Live an Intentional Life.
67 min
273
Metamorphosis with Steven L. Blue
On this episode I speak with Steven L. Blue. Steven is the best-selling author of five critically acclaimed books that target executives, leaders, entrepreneurs, and anyone seeking to learn the secrets of success in the corporate world.
39 min
274
Revisiting and Reframing Automation with Wade F...
On this episode, I speak with Wade Foster. Wade is the CEO and co-founder of Zapier, a workflow automation tool used by over three million people to connect the work apps they use every day. Prior to Zapier, Wade worked as a customer development lead for The Idea Works, Inc. in Missouri. He is an alumnus of Y Combinator and has degrees in industrial engineering and business administration from the University of Missouri-Columbia.
49 min
275
Becoming Indistractable with Nir Eyal
On this episode I'm joined by Nir Eyal, the author of what I consider to be the best productivity book I've read in a long time, Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life.
58 min