Sep 14, 2023
In this episode of The Brainy Business podcast, host Melina Palmer interviews Marcey Rader, author of the book Work Well, Play More. They delve into the importance of habits in achieving efficiency and work-life balance. Marcey shares her personal journey of making small, manageable changes in her life and emphasizes the need to focus on the behaviors underlying productivity. She highlights the value of breaking down goals into smaller tasks and tracking progress to stay motivated.
The conversation also covers strategies for setting boundaries, prioritizing tasks, and incorporating movement into daily routines. Whether you're a busy professional looking to enhance your productivity or seeking a better work-life balance, this episode offers actionable advice and inspiration. Don't miss the opportunity to learn from Marcey's expertise and improve your efficiency and overall well-being.
In this episode:
00:00:00 - Introduction,
Melina Palmer introduces Marcey Rader, an author and health,
productivity, and digital wellness expert. They discuss the
importance of health in powering productivity and how habits and
behavior change play a significant role in achieving work-life
balance.
00:05:16 - Background and Journey,
Marcey shares her journey from working in clinical research to
becoming a productivity coach and speaker. She talks about how her
own struggles with burnout and health issues inspired her to help
others find a healthier and more efficient approach to work and
life.
00:10:41 - Minimalism and Productivity,
Marcey discusses how reading the book The Power of Less by Leo
Babauta sparked her interest in minimalism and productivity. She
shares how adopting minimalist principles and simplifying her life
helped her improve her focus, efficiency, and work-life
balance.
00:13:25 - Personal Experience and Empathy,
Melina and Marcey emphasize the importance of personal experience
and empathy when helping others make behavior changes. They discuss
the value of relatability and understanding in guiding individuals
towards healthier habits and a more productive lifestyle.
00:14:51 - Overcoming Overwhelm,
Melina and Marcey address the feeling of overwhelm that many people
experience when trying to make multiple behavior changes at once.
They emphasize the importance of breaking changes down into
smaller, manageable steps and starting with one area at a time for
sustainable progress.
00:16:40 - Making Small Changes for Personal
Growth,
Marcey Rader shares her method of making personal and behavioral
changes by breaking them down into smaller, manageable tasks. She
shares her experience of creating a list of 100 things she wanted
to change about herself and how she tracked her progress by
checking off each task every day. (And, yes, acknowledges this
approach may not be for everyone.)
00:19:20 - The Importance of Small Wins,
Marcey emphasizes the importance of celebrating small wins and
finding quick wins to build momentum. She shares her personal
journey of gradually increasing her vegetable intake and how she
started with just one serving a day and gradually worked her way up
to five or six servings.
00:23:17 - Work Well, Play More Book Overview,
Marcey discusses her book, Work Well, Play More, which covers
topics of productivity, clutter, and health. The book is divided
into twelve months, and each month focuses on a different area with
novice, pro, and master levels. It can be used as a guide for
making changes at your own pace and choosing your own
adventure.
00:28:03 - Tackling Decluttering in Different
Areas,
Marcey explains how her book caters to different levels of
expertise in each area. She shares examples of decluttering tips,
such as cleaning up contacts in your phone, and how she personally
used the process of decluttering contacts to reconnect with people
during the COVID-19 pandemic.
00:30:10 - Top Tips from the Book,
Marcey shares a top tip from each section of the book:
productivity, health, and clutter.
00:34:59 - Being Flexible with Dietary
Restrictions,
Marcey shares her experience of being gluten-free for digestive
reasons but not wanting to restrict her diet too much. She
emphasizes the importance of looking for flexibility and balance in
everything, including one's dietary choices.
00:35:36 - Breaking Habits and the Two-Minute
Rule,
Melina and Marcey discuss the challenge of breaking habits. Marcey
shares about OHIO and Melina introduces the concept of the
two-minute rule. They explain how tackling small tasks immediately
can lead to a significant impact on productivity and
organization.
00:37:15 - Organizing Information for the Book,
Marcey shares her process of organizing the information for her
book by using sticky notes and categorizing them by topic. She
explains how this method helped her create a cohesive journey for
her readers.
00:42:02 - Working with Companies,
Marcey explains her approach when working with companies, which
includes assessing their email behaviors, communication, time
management, and meeting effectiveness. She also shares an example
of implementing "design days" to promote deep focus and
productivity within a company.
00:46:58 - Conclusion,
Melina's top insights from the conversation. What stuck with you
while listening to the episode? What are you going to try? Come
share it with Melina on social media -- you'll find her as
@thebrainybiz everywhere and as Melina Palmer on LinkedIn.
Thanks for listening. Don’t forget to subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Android. If you like what you heard, please leave a review on iTunes and share what you liked about the show.
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