80/20 Productivity
80/20 Productivity
Anthony Sanni
In this podcast, we explore the science, art and practice of achieving more by doing less based on the principles of 80/20. Productivity hacks, topical deep dives, book reviews, interviews and more to help you become a better you by focusing on the things that really matter. Each episode provides not just insights but instantly actionable strategies and tactics to help you on the journey to achieving extraordinary results—all while doing less—so that you can hae mnore time and energy to live life to the fullest! About the host: Anthony Sanni has always been the person to ask—why are we doing it this way? He is a productivity nerd and an ambassador of smart, focused productivity. He is a sought-after keynote speaker, executive coach and consultant. His clients span the industries of healthcare, finance, project management and tech. Anthony is the author of the book The Law of The Vital Few: How to Do More by Doing Less. He publishes articles regularly on themes of productivity and effectiveness at anthonysanni.com.
Ep-008: Is what you are calling a team actually just a group? With Brad King, PhD
Episode Summary Brad King is an Organizational Change consultant who specializes in agile team evolution, change management and execution strategies. He has been trusted by companies ranging from education to energy to facilitate transformations in how work is done among specialized teams and how goals and strategies translate to concrete action that drive business growth. I invited Brad to bring the team dimension to productivity and to pick his buzzing brain on trending topics like remote work as well as talk about some approaches to work going forward. Listen through to the end where Brad shares his 20% that has made the biggest difference as well as an inspiring thought on personal productivity. Highlights (TVF Timestamps) Why being a deeply skilled individual is not enough anymore (04:00) (1:00:00) The error of treating team knowledge work with the outdated industrial mindset (08:00) Does environment shape behaviour in organizations? (13:00) The Work From Home and Hybrid Work Conundrum (15:00) An intriguing less talked about aspect of inclusion regarding women in the workforce (23:00) 80/20 Problems of teams. Is your team just a group? (28:00) One investment that will make a HUGE difference. It’s not what you think. (38:00) One possible reason why burnout happens (45:00) Greater than the sum of it’s parts—a metaphor for individuals and teams (49:00) Executive leadership’s role in facilitating effective team work (54:00) (1:07:00) As always, Brad’s 20% (1:11:00) Brad’s Links LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kingbrad/ Official Website: https://bradleyking.ca/
Feb 5, 2022
1 hr 16 min
Ep-007: Artificial Intelligence—what it is and how it is changing productivity, work, and business with Kwame Asiedu
Episode Summary I have become very curious about AI or artificial intelligence—what it is, how it works, and more importantly, it's present and potential future impact on our lives and work. That is why I was very happy when my guest today agreed to come on the show. Kwame Asiedu is the CEO and co-founder of Braintoy—a first of it’s kind technology company who’s specialized AI-based platform makes it easier for individuals and businesses to use the power artificial intelligence (AI). As they say at Braintoy, they use AI to make AI accessible and fast! Kwame’s decades long work with AI is extensive from academic research to technical and executive leadership in the energy and financial industry developing AI solutions of different kinds, to being a subject matter expert for institutions developing AI curriculum to of course, co-founding and heading an AI-based tech company. We talk about why everyone should be paying attention to AI, what makes AI so powerful, how it already being used, how it may be used, how you can start engaging the AI revolution, the current limitations of AI as well as a less talked about aspect—the ethics of AI. Kwame Asiedu--8020 Productivity.png Highlights (TVF Timestamps) What exactly is AI and what makes it so powerful? (0:51) (27:47) Some of the ways AI is already affecting our lives and businesses (and how people and organizations who ignore it will be left behind) (16:51) 2 ways you can engage AI to help future-proof your career (45:57) Artificial General Intelligence and the Limitations of AI (23:36) How Braintoy is using AI to make AI more accessible (34:46) Ethical AI—what it is, and why it is so important (60:05) As always, Kwame’s 20% (71:48) Notes and References Learn more about topics mentioned: Google CEO quote on AI and fire: Google CEO: AI is more influential than discovery of fire (https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/artificial-intelligence/google-ceo-ai-is-more-influential-than-discovery-of-fire.html) Reference to Andrew Ng: You can find more about who Andrew Ng is just by Googling his name, but I found the Wikipedia page about him quite useful (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Ng). You can also check his personal website https://www.andrewng.org/ Braintoy’s AI projects and publications: https://braintoy.ai/blog/ Kwame Asiedu’s Links LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kwame-asiedu-745a8a29 Braintoy: https://braintoy.ai/
Oct 4, 2021
1 hr 27 min
Ep-006: 80-20 Productivity Hack—The humble but powerful to-do list. The what, why, how and how NOT of using this elegant productivity tool
80-20 productivity hacks is a series on 80 20 Productivity where Anthony Sanni presents and often unpacks actionable, science-backed productivity tools, techniques and practices that help you do more by doing less. Episode Summary Do you use to-do lists? If you don't, you should. They seem simple, but running under the hood is a strong engine to turbo-charge your productivity. If you already use to-do lists, this episode with increase your confidence in using them because you will understand why and how they work as well as give you some ideas to make your to-do-listing more effective. But what is a to-do list? Why does it work so well? And, more importantly, how do you use them correctly—especially in the 80 20 way—to boost your productivity? All that and more on this episode of 80 20 Productivity. Some of the main points (TVF Timestamps): The 3 major reasons why to-do lists work so well (03:40) How to-do lists de-clutter your brain and reduce stress and anxiety (06:29) The vital role of writing it down (14:40) 3 ways NOT to use a to-do list—common mistakes (19:55) Notes and References Dr Bluma Zeigarnik (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bluma_Zeigarnik ) Robert Cialdini Reference: This can be found in Cialdini’s most popular book— Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion under Principle 2: Commitment and Consistency Dr Gail Matthews research on Goal Setting See Research summary from Dominican University in California here Note: Opens a PDF document.(https://www.dominican.edu/sites/default/files/2020-02/gailmatthews-harvard-goals-researchsummary.pdf) Reference to Forbes quote here (https://forbesbooks.com/the-science-behind-setting-goals-and-achieving-them/) Actual quote attributed to Dr Matthews: “My study provides empirical evidence for the effectiveness of three coaching tools: accountability, commitment, and writing down one’s goals.” Quote: We overestimate what we can achieve in one day, but underestimate what we can achieve in one year. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find the source for this quote exactly. However there were many references floating around online of a similar quote from Bill Gates. This is one of those cases where the value of the idea outweighs accuracy. Anthony’s Book: The Law of The Vital Few
Aug 22, 2021
35 min
Ep-005: The interesting interplay between mind and body for productivity and peak performance with Dr Marie Claire Bourque
Episode Summary My guest on the show today is Dr Marie Claire Bourque. Dr MC as she is called by her clients and colleagues is a clinical psychiatrist and associate professor at The University of Calgary specializing in mental and physical fitness. She is in charge of mental health and peak performance for one of Canada's top-ranked ice hockey teams - Toronto Maple Leafs, and The National Ballet of Canada - The country's foremost elite ballet company. She is also founder of Limbus Movement—a unique workout system that incorporates physical movement with mindfulness to deliver a unique workout experience. Dr MC is the ideal person to speak on the mental side of personal productivity and the interesting interplay between our bodies and minds. Understanding this dynamic will help boost our productivity and help do more by doing less through optimizing this mind-body relationship. Highlights (TVF Timestamps) Dr MC's top recommendation to elite athletes and high-power executives (and three more throughout the rest of the show) (12:54) Why mindfulness is so powerful and how to develop it in a practical, science-based way (15:35) How movement and exercise makes your brain more powerful (27:35) How your body talks to you and helps you make better decisions (45:35) The secret sauce of what makes Limbus Movement work (33:48) The role of values and emotions well-being, creativity and productivity (52:56) As always, Dr MC's 20% (64:43) Notes and References Learn more about topics mentioned: Respiratory nerve relationship to benefits of mindfulness and meditation - Breath of Life: The Respiratory Vagal Stimulation Model of Contemplative Activity. (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6189422/) Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP) https://www.istdp.com/ Human brain Prefrontal cortex functions: There is short 2-minute video by NeuroScientifically Challenged YouTube channel here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i47_jiCsBMs) Dr Marie Claire Bourque LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-marie-claire-bourque Instagram: @doctor.mcb Limbus Movement: https://www.limbusmovement.com/
Jul 13, 2021
1 hr 12 min
Ep-004: 80-20 Book Breakdown—Effortless by Greg McKeown (Part II)
On 80-20 Book Breakdowns, Anthony Sanni unpacks carefully curated ideas from select books with the goal of getting at the vital few (80-20) concepts that can be used to enhance fulfillment, productivity and overall well-being. Some of the main points (TVF Timestamps): Unrecognized simplicities, not complexities are the stuff of genius (01:45) Should you work slow and steady? (04:50) The idea of linear Vs Residual effort (08:45) Making residual decisions (11:15) An approach to deepen your learning and expertise effortlessly (12:05) The powerful principle of inversion (and why it works) (26:55) Notes and References Greg McKeown’s first book: Essentialism This current book: Effortless Anthony’s Book: The Law of The Vital Few
Jun 22, 2021
35 min
Ep-003: 80-20 Book Breakdown—Effortless by Greg McKeown (Part I)
On 80-20 Book Breakdowns, Anthony Sanni unpacks carefully curated ideas from select books with the goal of getting at the vital few (80-20) concepts that can be used to enhance fulfillment, productivity and overall well-being. This episode is part 1 of 2 episodes of a deep dive into select ideas and insights from Greg McKeown's book--Effortless: Make It Easier to Do What Matters. In it I explore key ideas and insights with an aim to making them real and practical tools for helping you do more by doing less. Some of the main points: ·       It is not enough to be efficient, but to be efficient at the right things ·       Why playing and work should go together ·       The magic ingredient that makes routines and habits more effortless ·       Discover what is even better than streamlining and empowering steps in a process.
Jun 14, 2021
26 min
Ep-002: A Quote, 2 buckets, Value, Effort and the 20% that matters
It is so easy to get carried away and to live day-to-day without a conscious approach to living according to the 80/20 principle. And while we often think about 80/20 in terms of finances or business or career, we explore the less-talked about and more personal dimension of applying 80/20. At the end of the day, we can only truly control our will. And what we do with that can make all the difference.
Jun 8, 2021
24 min
EP 001 - Introduction to the 80/20 Productivity Podcast
In this maiden voyage episode, your host - author, coach, consultant and productivity nerd Anthony Sanni, provides an introduction to the podcast. The episode covers a short summary of the 80/20 principle and how it can drive productivity and fulfillment. The episode also covers the motivation for starting the podcast, the kind of content you can expect as well as format of the show.
May 31, 2020
22 min