CoolTimeLife

Here’s a listing of my past episodes in chronological order from newest to oldest. Search by keyword or podcast title. Or use the Index located at the bottom of this page to browse by topic.

How does AI actually work?

Generative AI often feels intelligent, personal, and proactive. So, what’s really happening behind the curtain?
In this episode of CoolTimeLife, I demystify how tools like ChatGPT and Copilot really work, explaining why they can answer across so many topics, adapt to your tone, suggest next steps, and feel surprisingly human without possessing awareness or understanding. You’ll learn how generative AI is built on prediction rather than knowledge, why context and language patterns matter so much, and most importantly, how much work this actually creates – rather than takes away – from humans. Whether you’re curious, cautious, or simply mystified, this episode will give you a clear mental model for using generative AI wisely, confidently, and effectively.

Listen to the podcast at our podcast host, Blubrry.com, or find it on your platform of choice, including iTunes, Spotify, Amazon, Audible, and YouTube.

Check out the short (6 minute video) on YouTube.

This episode has its own dedicated page. Click here to visit.

Keywords: Generative AI, Gen-AI, Copilot, Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, Wizard of Oz

Sleep: Our Most Underrated Productivity Tool

Sleep is often treated like a luxury—something we sacrifice in the name of productivity, responsiveness, and “being available.” But what if that thinking is exactly backward? In this episode of CoolTimeLife, I explore why sleep is the hidden engine behind clear thinking, emotional regulation, creativity, and effective leadership. From the myth of catching up on lost sleep to the real impact of late-night emails, stress, and screen time, we look at what healthy sleep actually does for the brain, and what happens when we don’t protect it.

Listen to the podcast at our podcast host, Blubrry.com, or find it on your platform of choice, including iTunes, Spotify, Amazon, Audible, and YouTube.

This episode has its own dedicated page. Click here to visit.

Keywords: Sleep, Productivity, Performance, Leadership, Work Culture, Health, Burnout, Creativity, Focus

Deepfakes, Deadlines, and Distraction: The Art of Staying Aware

Most people live in reaction mode, constantly responding to emails, pings, and pop-ups. But every reaction costs attention and control. Just like a traveler who touches their wallet after seeing a “Beware of pickpockets” sign, we reveal too much when we react unconsciously. Unfortunately, pro-activity isn’t natural. It’s a learned skill. Our brains are wired to react first, think later. But when you shift from reaction to pro-action, you regain control of your choices, your time, and even your physiology. Proactive people anticipate. They ask questions. They slow down just enough to steer outcomes instead of being swept along by them. And most importantly, they regain control of their lives. Here’s how you can, too.

Listen to the podcast at our podcast host, Blubrry.com, or find it on your platform of choice, including iTunes, Spotify, Amazon, Audible, and YouTube.

This episode has its own dedicated page. Click here to visit.

Keywords: distraction, overload, safety, reactive, phishing, cybercrime, feel in control, deepfakes, pickpockets

A World Where Work Can Start Without You

In a world where work can start without you, what happens to your role, your career, and your sense of control? This episode explores the rise of Agentic AI: a new generation of artificial intelligence that doesn’t just respond to prompts, but anticipates goals, plans multi-step actions, and executes them before you even ask. We’ll look at how this technology is already reshaping workplaces, the opportunities it opens for career growth, the risks we need to manage, and a real-world case study that shows the future in action. | Podcast

Listen to the podcast at our podcast host, Blubrry.com, or find it on your platform of choice, including iTunes, Spotify, Amazon, Audible, and YouTube.

This episode has its own dedicated page. Click here to visit.

Keywords: agentic AI, future of work, change management, difference between generative AI and agentic AI, AI for meeting scheduling and reporting, business productivity.

Will AI Take Your Job?

The fear of artificial intelligence replacing human jobs is real—and growing. From Microsoft’s viral list of “most endangered jobs” to social media memes warning that “AI won’t take your job, but someone who knows AI will,” uncertainty is everywhere. In this episode of CoolTimeLife, I tackle the question head-on: should you be afraid of AI, or should you see it as the biggest career opportunity of your lifetime?

This episode has its own dedicated page. Click here to visit.

Keywords: AI job security, AI and careers, future of work, AI replacing jobs, AI and job market, AI skills for work, AI-proof jobs, will AI take my job, jobs safe from AI, jobs AI will replace, AI career opportunities, AI skills training, AI workplace adaptation, work like a wolf, AI career tips, surviving AI disruption

Forget trust. Dismiss instinct. Gap it instead.

This is a crucial message for anyone navigating today’s high-risk digital world – not just yourself and co-workers, but your family too: Don’t trust. Gap It instead. With phishing attacks, social engineering scams, and emotional manipulation on the rise, your best defense isn’t a new antivirus software, it’s your brain. Or more precisely, your ability to teach your brain to overrule instinct and pause and think before reacting.

This episode has its own dedicated page. Click here to visit.

Keywords/Tags: scams, cybercrime, fake messages, phishing, robocalls, email scams, cybersecurity, protect from scams

Mastering Meetings – How the 55-Minute Rule Can Revolutionize Your Workday

Meetings – whether in person or online – are notorious time wasters, often plagued by late starts, irrelevant discussions, and a lack of clear outcomes. There’s a better way, which I call the 55-Minute Meeting. This approach offers practical solutions to reclaim productivity, minimize stress, and maximize the effectiveness of meetings, by connecting with people’s motivations and physiology rather than the agenda.  I use the analogy of retail pricing strategies, where a slight adjustment (like $19.95 instead of $20) significantly influences consumer behavior. Similarly, a shorter, precise meeting duration – 55 minutes instead of an hour – or even shorter, or even asynchronous – taps into our need for structure, clarity and balance. 

This episode has its own dedicated page. Click here to visit.

Keywords/Tags: meetings, productivity, time management, this could have been an email

Help is on the way!

A look at how Generative AI is becoming a powerful tool for boosting human motivation, unleashing creativity, and reducing the fear of failure. This thought-provoking narrative that looks at the emotional side of creativity. Steve makes the case that the real value of generative AI lies not in replacing human effort, but in enhancing confidence, reducing creative blocks, and providing a safe, judgment-free space for people to try new ideas. Whether writing a song, designing a business plan, or exploring new ways of thinking, AI can act as a motivational partner, helping people take that crucial first step.

This episode has its own dedicated page. Click here to visit.

Keywords/Tags: AI, creativity, writer’s block, gen-AI, generative AI, ChatGPT, Copilot, motivation, productivity

The Lost Dimension: How Reconnecting with Physical Space Enhances Learning and Communication

In an era dominated by video calls and digital communication, we may be overlooking a critical element that enhances learning, creativity, and connection: our interaction with the physical spaces around us. This podcast explores the profound impact of three-dimensional awareness on our ability to learn, communicate, and engage with others. It delves into how the simple, tactile act of using a landline telephone in the past offered a richer, more grounded conversational experience compared to today’s mobile phones and video chats. | Podcast

This episode has its own dedicated page. Click here to visit.

Keywords/Tags: engagement, communication, immersive environments, learning, three dimensional space, Zoom, Virbela

The Comfort Advantage: The Superpower that Transforms Relationships

In today’s fast-paced business environment, delivering comfort is one of the most overlooked yet transformative aspects of customer service and relationship-building. In this episode of CoolTimeLife, I dive deep into the profound impact that comfort can have on both personal and professional interactions, making it an essential tool for success. This episode explores how comfort differs from satisfaction, why it must precede satisfaction, and how it serves as a currency for building lasting trust with customers, clients, and teams. | Podcast

This episode has its own dedicated page. Click here to visit.

Keywords/Tags: comfort, customer service relationships, trust, proactive communication, storytelling, fears, loyal customers, satisfaction, managing expectations, positive organizational culture, proactive reassurance 

Can You Hear Me Now? The Art of Conversation with Douglas Squirrel

We all communicate, but we don’t all do it well. The need to send information in small packages, like texting, has taken away a vital component of conversation: conflict. Sounds strange, right? But we learn more when arguments and counterfactual discussions are introduced into our interactions. It strengthens knowledge and relationships. My guest, Douglas Squirrel, is an expert in practicing the art of constructive conflict.

This episode has its own dedicated page. Click here to visit.

Tags/Keywords: conversation, conflict, communication, interaction, leadership

AI’s Unmentioned Emissions: We’ve been down this road before

There’s no question that AI and generative-AI can do a lot of great things, with more being developed every day. But humans have a terrible knack of falling prey to “induced demand” and “ergonomic inflation,” both of which hold the potential of stealing away all the productivity that AI promised to deliver. | Podcast

Tags/Keywords: AI, artificial intelligence, induced demand

Uncovering your Brilliance with Simon T. Bailey

Why is it that so many people lose the brilliance and creativity they are born with? Life has a way of pressing peoples’ motivations and self-confidence down to a tiny fraction of their former selves. This is particularly tragic when you realize just how many times people hear the word “no” as they are growing up. My guest for this episode, Simon T. Bailey, wants to give people their ability to be brilliant again. His drive and passion are refreshing and inspiring, and time spent with him will give you the chance to reconnect with your own inner brilliance and resilience. | Podcast

Tags/Keywords: genius, brilliance, Simon T. Bailey, motivation, self-affirmation

Poisonous Leadership – Sean Lemson

Much has been written about great leaders, but what happens when a leader starts to poison the well? Some leaders do not have the right people skills, some are only in it for themselves and others actually see a merit in appearing as a saint while ruling through fear and oppression behind closed doors. It only takes one person with one drop of poison to cause enormous and lasting damage to an organization. My guest, Sean Lemson, is an expert in spotting and fixing the poisonous leader problem. | Podcast

Tags/Keywords: leadership, culture, toxic, poisonous

Breaking Free of Destructive Energy at Work – Rebecca Ahmed

The most recent State of the Global Workforce Report from the Gallup Organization says that less than one-quarter of the U.S. workforce is engaged at work, and traditional methods to engage workers clearly aren’t working, especially when it comes to attracting and retaining Gen Z workers. Some might say it has always been that way, but it doesn’t need to be, and Rebecca Ahmed is leading the charge to restore energy into work culture. | Podcast

Tags/Keywords: engagement, culture, Gen Z, energy, leadership

Why Are So Many Businesses Really, Really Bad At Culture? – Drew Jones

For decades, companies have been spending money on culture and training and have very little to show for it. Why? Because they have been going about it all wrong. They have been ignoring the concept that Drew Jones and others call “the collective brain” which is more organic, a lot easier, and tends to stick a whole lot more easily. | Podcast

Tags/Keywords: management, leadership, culture, activity based work, Microsoft, Satya Nadella, Morningstar, Macquarie Bank, open office

Why is 1950s Leadership Still a Thing? – Lori Mazan

Far too much of our leadership practices are based on thinking developed as far back as the 1950s. Lori Mazan says this needs to change, but there are many reasons why it takes so long. Lori is co-founder, president, and chief coaching officer of Sounding Board, Inc., a center for leadership development. She is also author of a new book, Leadership Revolution: The Future of Developing Dynamic Leaders. | Podcast

Tags/Keywords: leadership, command and control, assessment tools, Jack Welch

Lead and Let Live: leadership strategies for the hybrid workspace

Barbie Brewer has held executive positions at Netflix and GitHub and has been instrumental in establishing successful hybrid work environments at both places. In this interview she talks about what she learned, how it affected her own life and what she recommends for leaders who are struggling with the concept of hybrid work at their own locations. | Podcast |

Visit Barbie Brewer’s site at barbiejane.com

Tags/Keywords: work from home, leadership, Silicon Valley, hybrid work, Barbie Brewer

I’d Love To Attend – Put Me Down as a “No” – Whenever events and get-togethers occur, they come up against a big problem – people’s time. We’re just not as available as we used to be, and frankly we don’t always want to go. So, what’s to be done? Are get-togethers worth it anymore? | Podcast | LinkedIn

Tags/Keywords: meetings, networking, time management, overload

The Problem with Rockstar CEOs – Many high-profile companies these days are reflections of their superstar CEOs – people like Elon Musk and Jamie Dimon. Author Thomas Keil suggests that although they may be good for branding, just like regular rock stars, they can’t truly do it alone. | Podcast

Visit Thomas Keil and his organization here.

Tags/Keywords: leadership, CEOs, Musk, Dimon, Thomas Keil

FORTUNE’s Bearded Slacker – In June 2023, FORTUNE magazine published a piece entitled “Bosses are fed up with remote work for 4 main reasons. Some of them are undeniable.” Well, I’m going to deny them. | Podcast | LinkedIn article

Tags/Keywords: remote work, work from home, gig economy, slacker, hybrid work, return to office, Fortune

Your Personal Career Steering Wheel – A career never should be a clear, straight highway laid out by someone else for you to follow. This is increasingly true in this age, where career mobility and self-determination are more valuable and more appreciated than ever. There has never been a better time to explore your options and Chris Fontanella is here to share his story and his wisdom. | Podcast

Visit Chris Fontanella’s website: chrisfontanella.com.

Tags/Keywords: career, networking, mentorship, life, Chris Fontanella

Welcome to the Officeverse – Have you ever thought of the word office as a verb? It changes everything, shining a light on the work we do rather than the place we do it. This is just one of many great ideas presented by futurist Bob Johansen in his new book, Office Shock. In this conversation, he shares his views on the future of work, the impact of AI on careers, the way we handle change, and much more, all through the lens of his special brand of future-back thinking. | Podcast | LinkedIn

Visit Bob’s organization, and sigh up for their newsletter here: iftf.org.

Tags/Keywords: future of work, office, careers Bob Johansen, office shock

Respectful Leadership – Why we need it now more than ever – One of the ways the workplace has changed in modern times is an increase in disrespectful leadership. Where did such disrespect come from, and what can leaders to to reverse the trend? Here’s my interview with author and leadership expert Gregg Ward. | Podcast | LinkedIn

Visit Gregg’s website, RespectfulLeader.com.

Tags/Keywords: leadership, respect, influence, Gregg Ward

ChatGPT and the Bruce Springsteen Paradox – ChatGPT took the world by storm in early 2023. But it’s not what you think it is. Steve takes a look at what it does and how it might affect you. This episode might seem a little dated since everyone learned what ChatGPT was pretty quickly, but the Bruce Springsteen story is still a memorable lesson about the strengths and weaknesses of this technology. | Podcast | LinkedIn

Tags/Keywords: ChatGPT, Bruce Springsteen

The 40 Hour Workweek meets the 40-Day Year – The 40 hour workweek is a myth in term of productivity expectations. The reality is people in knowledge work positions get far less than 40 hours of work done per week, in fact you’re lucky if you get 40 days’ worth or work done in a year. This episode looks at the numbers and a suggests it’s time for a better way for employers to assess what work actually is. | Podcast | LinkedIn

Tags/Keywords: work, workweek, face time, output, productivity

Can People Really Handle VR Workplaces? – The pandemic got everyone onto video chat faster than they may have wanted. As convenient as it may be it lacked a certain three-dimensionality But there are new environments available in which your avatar can walk around and be more natural as we spend time together. Are you ready for it? Is the world ready for it? I know I am. | Podcast | LinkedIn

Tags/Keywords: VR, Virbela, Toucan.com, virtual reality

The “slacker barista”. The “McJob”. The Liberal Arts “Basket weaving” degree. These terms are routinely used to make fun of people who work hard in the food service industry, or who pursue education that does not seem to have a direct path to a set career. In all cases, these people are thought of as unmotivated and unsuccessful. But despite the fact they are working hard to make a living, there is great career potential that can come from the experiences gained in food service and other types of jobs. There are skills and lessons there that can apply to other jobs, including many that didn’t even exist a few years or months ago.| Podcast | LinkedIn

Tags/Keywords: mcjob, barista, slacker, gig economy, solopreneur, networking, career

Upgrading to a One-Week Meeting – Email and meetings have been uncomfortable necessities for decades, and they both harken back to a time when communication was formal, hierarchical and had to occur at a set time and place. But the fluid nature of collaboration technologies like Slack is a game changer. | Podcast | LinkedIn

Tags/Keywords: meetings, collaboration, productivity, Slack, Microsoft Teams, asynchronous

Getting Back on Track with Slack – Email and meetings have been uncomfortable necessities for decades, and they both hearken back to a time when communication was formal and hierarchical. The fluid nature of collaboration technologies like Slack is a game changer. | Podcast | LinkedIn

Tags/Keywords: Slack, collaboration, collaborative, productivity, communication, asynchronous, meetings, time management, organization

The Future of Workplace Fear: How Human Reflex Stands in the Way of Digital Transformation – Hidden behind the term digital transformation is the word change, but this doesn’t sit well with most people because change represents a threat that strikes at the heart of our greatest fear – losing our job. Learn more about how deep-rooted and impactful fear can be. This podcast is about my book, published in 2022. Learn more about my books here. | Podcast | LinkedIn

Tags/Keywords: digital transformation, future of workplace fear, office, culture, leadership, change management, technology

Crossing the Equator with Alberto – Managing Distributed Teams – There’s a big difference between “remote work” teams and “distributed teams,” and this has as much to do with workplace innovation as with how the team members interact from their separate locations. Author Alberto Silveira chats with me about his book and his career to date, and he provides timely advice on how to build successful companies by employing people who work somewhere other than the office. | Podcast

Visit Alberto’s site at CrossingTheEquator.com

Tags/Keywords: remote work, distributed work, hybrid work, office, teams, leadership, iron triangle

Life as a night owl: the challenges and bright future for those wired for the night – Night owls have always had it tougher in a workday designed by and made for “morning people.” So why are some people aligned to a later body clock and what does the new normal hold for them? It’s good news. | Podcast | LinkedIn

Tags/Keywords: time management, night owl, circadian rhythm, sleep, nightshift

Making the Case for Microlearning – we don’t need multi-hour classes – The multi hour classroom session never really worked. It was too much information delivered in the wrong way, to a range of people with vastly different learning styles. The better, more effective way is upon us, and it’s called microlearning. | Podcast | LinkedIn

This episode has its own dedicated page. Check it out here.

Tags/Keywords: microlearning, asynchronous learning, modular learning, flipped schooling, classroom, professional development, skills development

Forgetting How to Hitch Up a Plough: Virtual career management – One of the chief pushbacks to virtual presence technology and the work-from-home lifestyle has been that people will miss out on networking and career enhancement opportunities. This is incorrect, and is the same type of argument that comes with every new innovation. | Podcast | LinkedIn

Tags/Keywords: future of work, work from home, hybrid work, new normal

The Unbearable Lightness of Being Virtual – There will soon be a time when many more of us will question why we ever packed ourselves into cars, trains and subways twice a day, just to do work that we can do from home. The Virtual Workplace is not about endless Zoom meetings. It’s about establishing a presence where work and socializing can occur. And it’s here now. | Podcast | LinkedIn

Tags:/Keywords: virtual environment, Virbela, metaverse, work from home, work from anywhere, future of work, VR

The Madness of Crowds: why does mob mentality happen? – Why do people lose their individual mindsets and join the flow of a mob? Have they been swayed by tribal momentum to do things they otherwise would not do? It’s a phenomenon that was as common 500 years ago as it is now. | Podcast | LinkedIn

Tags/Keywords: mob mentality, January 6, bubble, mania, madness of crowds

The War in My Kitchen: Food in the 1940’s – What did people eat back in the 1930s and 1940s? How did they cook? Becky Brillon has done the research and has created a website, TheWarInMyKitchen.com, as well as a companion cookbook, Generations Cookbook. She discusses what inspired her to research foodie life in the era of the Great Depression and wartime rationing and its impact on us today. | Podcast

Tags/Keywords: war, Becky Brillon, kitchen, cooking rationing, victory garden

I Know What You Did: how politicians and others use guilt to influence – “I know what you did” is a type of leading phrase that cuts right through to your hidden guilt and fear. It gives the accuser enormous power over you, even if they know nothing about what you actually did. It has been used as a source of power throughout history and continues to be so, especially in politics and religion. In this podcast Steve looks at its enormous influential power. | Podcast | LinkedIn

Tags/Keywords: influence, guilt, domination, politics, religion

The Importance of Knowing What You Don’t Know – What do purple Jeeps represent for mental acuity? It’s about turning passive awareness into an active information gathering tool. If you decide one day to buy a purple Jeep, you will start noticing them everywhere. That technique is vital for maintaining “tuned-in” mind. | Podcast | LinkedIn

Tags/Keywords: mental acuity, awareness, know, reticular activation, purple jeep

The Calendar Crisis – Unplanned events can really derail your plans for the day. But they don’t have to happen. Your local favorite restaurant has the solution. Podcast | LinkedIn

Tags/Keywords: Time management, balance, calendar, overload, overbooked, restaurant menu

Influence: The Ultimate Productivity Tool – At the end of every problem, task or opportunity, there is a person waiting for something. This means that the best way to manage stress, time and actual productivity is to ensure you focus on the needs and expectations of that person, and not just the work itself. In this podcast, you will learn four essential techniques for learning how to influence people to help ensure a more productive and healthier workday. Podcast | LinkedIn

Tags/Keywords: influence, productivity, time management, Robert Cialdini

Nutrition for Busy People: How to Become an Elite Eating Athlete – Food and exercise. How often have you had to deal with these twin pressures – somehow in the midst of a busy day, we have to find the time and discipline to eat right and get more exercise? According to executive health and longevity expert Tim Bean, there are five key principles of effective nutrition. Get these easy tips down and you will be burning calories like an elite athlete. | Podcast

Tags/Keywords: diet, exercise, weight loss, health longevity, calories, Tim Bean

Your Body: Rocket Science and Weightlifting – If you think you have no time to get to the gym, or if the idea of 20 minutes on the elliptical bores you, think about lifting weights instead. Executive health expert Tim Bean says that this not only makes you look better now, it’s a major investment against frailty and ill health in later years. Strong people stay young. | Podcast

Tags/Keywords: health, longevity, frailty, aging, weightlifting, diet, food, Tim Bean

Dynamic Email and Calendar Management – A calendar should never be something that just tells you what to do. It’s a dynamic tool of prioritization and influence. | Podcast | LinkedIn

Tags/Keywords: time management, calendar, influence

The Slow Approach Gets You There Faster – People are getting locked inside a loop of surface-level urgencies and are losing the ability to connect creatively with mentors, clients, even their managers. Working days are getting longer, and the separation between work and life is eroding. This, I call, “death-in-harness.” The irony is, you can actually get further, faster, by going slower. This episode takes a look at the Slow movement that is popular in Japan and Europe, and asks whether it could possibly take root here, and how it could help. | Podcast

Tags/Keywords: time management, stress management, slow movement, highway driving, creativity

Your Brain is Like a Bath Sponge – We live in a go-go-go world, where taking breaks or signing off for the day both seem like a cop-out. But your brain and body operate on a set of rules far older than our technologies. When you learn to recognize the power of breaks, decompression, and stepping over that line between work and life, that’s when you can truly capitalize on your metabolic strengths and be the best you can be. | Podcast | LinkedIn

Tags/Keywords: metabolism, stress, creativity, work life balance, decompress, mental power, influence, cool, calm

Daylight Saving Time and Net 60 – Both Must Go – Why do we still change clocks manually? Why do keyboards still use QWERTY? Why do companies take 2 months to pay suppliers? These are antiquated processes that we hang on to in the same way that our calendar still pays homage to Roman gods. Those who say that replacing the QWERTY keyboard with something more intuitive would cost too much to retrain others must have completely not seen how the world has learned to use smartphones and download apps with no training at all. | Podcast | LinkedIn

The Rising Bar of Expectation – Could you imagine waiting 6 months for a return message to arrive? That’s what people had to do a couple of centuries back. Now things happen at light speed, which might seem convenient, but it brings along a new burden: an ever-rising bar of expectation. How do you handle this? Should you work faster or learn to say “no?” Your future depends of building the skills to handle this rising tide. Are you ready for that? | Podcast | LinkedIn

Tags/Keywords: email, expectation, time management, overload

Workaholism, Presenteeism and Economics 101 – Are you a workaholic? Do you want to be? Workaholism is not the same thing as being driven or dedicated, and it’s certainly not the same as being efficient and productive. It springs from a dark well of anger, and is an addiction, plain and simple. This episode of CoolTimeLife looks at the triple threat to productivity: workaholism, presenteeism, and the law of diminishing returns, and how becoming aware of these pitfalls will make you more successful in work and life. Podcast

Tags/Keywords: workaholic, workaholism, work, addiction, productivity, life balance

How To Make Things Go Your Way – Influence is a power that any of us can learn and use to make things go our way more often. It’s about getting people to want to do what you want them to do, through relationship and respect. Sometimes, as Michelangelo, the renowned scientist and artist, can teach us, influence can be wielded in surprising ways. | Podcast | LinkedIn

Tags/Keywords: influence, Michelangelo, David, respect, awareness

Driving Me Crazy: Go Faster by Going Slower – Explore the bizarre relationship between driving, food, and overwork. Have you noticed, for example how frustrating it is when the other lane of traffic seems to be moving faster than yours? This frustration not only leads to road rage, it also leads to “event-to-event thinking” in every area of your life, which leads to crammed schedules, overload, and no time allowed to eat lunch. It doesn’t have to be that way. So much more can be achieved from taking a slower approach, to driving, working and eating. You will get more done when you just slow down a little. | Podcast | LinkedIn

Tags/Keywords: speed, slow, driving, traffic jam, diet, stress, productivity

The Value of Your Time – It is easy to undervalue your time. But your time has great value. Every moment you spend at work is the product of years of study and practice. This has a tangible value. So why are we so ready to give it away, by waiting patiently for late meetings to start, wasting valuable time on emails, and working without a plan? This podcast discusses how to value your time and how to ensure it is never wasted. Learn how time invested in planning pays off, how to make the 80/20 rule lessen your workload while increasing productivity, even how to use Twitter/X as a timely tool for learning, and how even the biggest, scariest projects can be taken care of, simply by understanding the value of this absolutely finite resource. | Podcast | LinkedIn

Tags/Keywords: time management, value, self worth, furnace repair technician

Managing Your Metabolism – Imagine yourself on a two-week vacation at an all-inclusive spa: no alarm clocks, no kids, no meetings. After you catch up on your sleep deficit, do you see yourself waking up with the sunrise for tennis or dancing the night away and ordering brunch? Knowing your natural metabolism – the one that exists despite all our rules – is key to day-to-day productivity and career satisfaction. | Podcast | LinkedIn

Tags/Keywords: metabolism, night owl, morning person, circadian rhythm, productivity

The Box of Time: how to get more done through influence – Sounds like a science fiction movie, doesn’t it? But it’s not. At least not here. A box of time is a highly powerful way of influencing people and managing time, simply by managing expectations and giving people an alternative to fearing the unknown. It will allow you to be left alone to focus, and also get people to show up when you want them to. It will give you some ideas on how to best structure your day and even lighten your load by no longer being the path of least resistance. |Podcast | LinkedIn

This episode has its own dedicated page. Click here to visit.

Tags/Keywords: time management, productivity, Parkinson’s Law, influence, bonsai

CoolTimeLife Index by Topic

Index

Here is an index of all episodes by category. Since topics tend to overlap, you might see an episode appear in more than one category.

AI, Gen-AI and Artificial Intelligence

AI’s Unmentioned Emissions: Looking at the hype around Generative AI

ChatGPT and the Bruce Springsteen Paradox: A case study on AI hallucinations.

Help Is On the Way: How Gen-AI can act as a motivational partner and breaker of analysis paralysis.

Will AI Take My Job? Should you be afraid of AI, or should you see it as the biggest career opportunity of your lifetime?

Communication Skills:

Can You Hear Me Now?, A look at the dying art of conversation and why we need it back.

The Lost Dimension: How Reconnecting with Physical Space Enhances Learning and Communication

Culture in the Workplace

Why Are So Many Businesses Really, Really Bad At Culture? Although there are exceptions it’s generally just not a thing that corporate leaders think about.

The Slacker Barista, Anyone who thinks people who work in the food service industry are slackers clearly have not worked there. Politicians seeking a sound bite should be more aware.

Customer Service

The Comfort Advantage: The art of delivering comfort to employees, teams and customers through thoughtful messaging.

Positivity

Breaking Free of Destructive Energy: Finding spaces for positivity at work.

The Comfort Advantage: The art of delivering comfort to employees, teams and customers through thoughtful messaging.

Fear

The Future of Workplace Fear: A description of my new book, published by Apress, discussing how fear and resistance can stand in the way of workplace digital transformation.

The Future of Work

Welcome to the Officeverse: A great conversation with futurist Bob Johansen about his new book, Office Shock, and what happens when the word “office” becomes a verb.

Can People Handle VR Workplaces? A look at virtual reality work spaces that go beyond Zoom.

Upgrading to a One-Week Meeting: Using fluid collaboration technologies like Slack to provide a more productive alternative to meetings.

Health

Managing Your Metabolism: Are you a morning person or a night owl? Knowing more about your circadian rhythm and overall metabolism is key to career success.

Your Body – Rocket Science and Weightlifting

Nutrition for Busy People

Hybrid Workplace

Lead and Let Live, FORTUNE’s Bearded Slacker, Crossing the Equator with Alberto

Influence

How to Make More Things Go Your Way, Influence – The Ultimate Productivity Tool, I Know What You Did

Leadership

Poisonous Leadership,

Why is 1950s Leadership Still a Thing?,

Lead and Let Live

The Problem with Rockstar CEOs,

Respectful Leadership: A discussion with leadership expert Gregg Ward about why disrespect and bullying have become more common in recent years – and what to do about it.

Meetings

Getting Back on Track with Slack: Using Slack (and similar products as a replacement for traditional meetings

Upgrading to a One-Week Meeting: Adopting the idea of anynchronous meetings for better outcomes

I’d Love To Attend – Put Me Down as a “No”: People just don’t have the time for meetings of an hour or more, but there are better ways

Space: The Lost Dimension: Whether meeting in person or virtual, peoples’ capacity to learn depends on what else they can see, other than the meeting chairperson

The 55-Minute Meeting: Using a trick from the retail world to make meetings more engaging

Networking

Your Career Steering Wheel

Online Safety

Gap It: how to avoid getting scammed by phishing emails and social engineering

Positivity

Breaking Free of Destructive Energy: Finding spaces for positivity at work.

The Comfort Advantage: The art of delivering comfort to employees, teams and customers through thoughtful messaging.

Productivity

The 40-Hour Workweek Myth, Upgrading to a One-Week Meeting, Getting Back on Track with Slack, Dynamic Email and Calendar Management, Workaholism, Presenteeism and Economics 101

Skills

Making the Case for Microlearning

Gap It: how to avoid getting scammed by phishing emails and social engineering

Social Culture

The Madness of Crowds, Daylight Saving Time and Net 60 – Both Must Go, The Rising Bar of Expectation

Thinking

Are You Conscious?, Your Brain is Like a Bath Sponge, The Importance of Knowing What You Don’t Know

Time Management

The Box of Time, Are You Conscious?, Managing Your Metabolism, The Value of Your Time, Driving Me Crazy, Life as a Night Owl, The Calendar Crisis, Dynamic Email and Calendar Management