111: The GTD VSG welcomes Michelle Gunn as the new co-host and an amazing group conversation on how to overcome overwhelm!

In this episode of the GTD Virtual Study Group, we covered to big topics! The first is my big announcement regarding the format of the study group, and the second is our topic for our group discussion today on overwhelm.

First, my big announcement! On the fourth Thursday of each month, I’ll be releasing an exclusive interview with another expert in the productivity space. I will have recorded that program over the weekend. And, on the second Thursday of each month, we will have the live call. Who else better to have as a co-host then a GTD Virtual Study Group listener since 2009, an avid GTD follower, and someone who has spent her professional life in management, project management, and people management across multiple industries. Someone who is adept at listening to people and organizational needs to help build solutions. That person is Michelle Gunn.

You're going to love this show! Michelle is an amazing moderator and in this first program with her co-hosting, she helped moderate an incredibly amazing and inspiring conversation on how to overcome that feeling of overwhelm. Please welcome Michelle as the new co-host of the program!!

Check out this episode

110: Mike Vardy, The Productivityist, Teaches Us How to Practice Mindful Productivity

You don't want to miss this incredibly engaging conversation with Mike Vardy, "The Productivityist" in this week's GTD Virtual Study Group. There are tons of wonderfully magnificent nuggets in this podcast. You'll learn about:

• the importance of every stage of GTD - from collection, to processing, to organizing, to reviewing, to the actual doing!

• what it takes to really understand how your body works to maximize your productivity. Night owl or early bird?

• how to become more self-aware so you execute successfully on every project

• how to determine which app is really right for you - or is it a notebook and pen?

• whether productivity principles change as technology changes? How do you define expectations?

And, so, so, so much more ... like a great conversation, once again, about really great beers! Here's some really great resources on Mike so you can continue learning even after the podcast ends!

• The Productivityist official website

• The Front Nine: How to Start the Year You Want Anytime You Want

• The Productivityist Workbook

• New eBook! The NOW Year: A Practical Guide to Calendar Management.

• Mikes On Mics podcast

• And, if you really want to go down the Mike Vardy productivity rabbit hole, check out his TEDx Talk on Life Hacks!

Enjoy!

Check out this episode

109: Erik Fisher Teaches Us How To Go Beyond the Todo List!

Erik Fisher, podcaster, blogger, and author, joins us in the latest episode of the GTD Virtual Study Group. Erik wears many hats! In addition to being a husband and dad, he has a day job, runs a successful podcast called, "Beyond the Todo List", and recently co-authored a book called, "Beyond the Todo List: Goals - a step-by-step process to making and meeting the goals that matter".

Erik and I had a great conversation about how he got into productivity, balancing both life and work, and why he continues to learn something new from reading Getting Things Done by David Allen during different periods in his life. Plus, you'll find really great tidbits such as why he believes his superhero name would be, "The Optimizer" and why he believes the perfect system is really about "self-management". There's so much more I really believe you'll learn from listening to this podcast.

Here's some great resources mentioned during the podcast:

• Erik's interview of David Allen on his podcast

• Erik's website

• LIfe balance wheel

• Airmail Mac desktop mail app

• Mailbox iOS mail app

...and of course, the list wouldn't be complete unless we added this!

• Pisgah Brewery's Bacon Beer!

To explain that last link, you'll need to listen to the show!

• Pisgah Brewery's Bacon Beer!

Check out this episode

108: Learning Personal Kanban with Pascal Venier

Pascal Venier was our guest today. He is a Personal Kanban Trainer and Coach as well as the translator of the French version of the great classic by Jim Benson and Tonianne DeMaria Barry, Personal Kanban: Mapping Work | Navigating Life to be published with Modus Cooperandi Press in 2013.

In this episode, Pascal taught us about the history of Kanban; how to setup a Kanban board, the benefits of Kanban and personal productivity, and how to take the system with you in both digital and analog formats. This was a very interesting show and one in which I know I learned a whole lot. 

Pascal can be found online at www.pascalvenier.com and is @pascalvenier on Twitter.

Resources from our program:

• Here are some great photos of Kanban board setups:

  • http://www.flickr.com/photos/pascalvenier/9403030085/

  • http://www.flickr.com/photos/pascalvenier/9405788004/

  • http://www.flickr.com/photos/pascalvenier/9701928254/

  • The Personal Kanban book: http://www.personalkanban.com/pk/personal-kanban-the-book/

  • Personal Kanban gallery: http://yeswekanban.net/

  • On Zeigarnik and the Zeigarnik effect:

    • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bluma_Zeigarnik

    • http://www.psychwiki.com/wiki/Zeigarnik_Effect

    • An excellent starting point to discover Personal Kanban is the Personal Kanban 101

    • Pascal's series of posts on Doing GTD Kanban Style

      • http://www.pascalvenier.com/en/doing-gtd-kanban-style-1-2/

      • http://www.pascalvenier.com/en/doing-gtd-kanban-style-2-2/

      • http://www.pascalvenier.com/en/doing-gtd-kanban-style-3/

• KanbanJovi

• LeanKit

• Personal Kanban: Mapping Work | Navigating Life

• How to Stop Doing Busywork, Start Doing Your Best Work - Udemy Course by Gerry Kirk. Pascal is offering us a 50% discount!

Don't forget to sign-up for the GTD Virtual Study Group mailing list!

Download the episode here!

107: Get Things Done in Evernote with Lilli Weisz!

This was an awesome GTD Virtual Study Group! We learned how to get things done in Evernote with super productivity specialist, Lilli Weisz! View the Google+ Hangout presentation and download Lilli's slides she shared with us. Seriously, what an awesome productivity session! I know I learned something!

Lilli Weisz is a productivity specialist who assists people in decluttering and organizing their physical and digital spaces. She can help you clear your desk, your desktop, your inbox, your life, so that you can get back to living and breathe a little easier. As an expert in David Allen's Getting Things Done, Lilli helps clients create their own individualized GTD systems on a variety of digital tools, like Evernote, that can make your life run more efficiently. You can learn more about Lilli at www.lilliweisz.com - soon to be updated to her fabulous new business website, http://www.simplified.so!

Watch the GTD® Virtual Study Group with Lilli Weisz!

Click here to watch the GTD® Virtual Study Group: Get things done in Evernote with Lilli Weisz!

Download Lilli's slide show here!

Click here to download Lillie's Presentation!

Click here to download the episode!

106: How To Get It All Done When Someone Else's Life Depends On It!

Dallon Christensen of Whiteboard Business Partners joined us on the live call. Dallon not only has an amazing personal story of how he has been using GTD, but also wears a whole lot of hats ranging from a full time day job and several side projects. Listen in as we learn his story and find out how he's able to get it all done!

You can find out more about Dallon on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, and LinkedIn!

Dallon mentioned some really great resources on today's call. Check them out and we hope they can help you too!

• Dan Miller's 48days.com

• Zig Ziglar's Wheel of Life

• Leo Babauta's Zen to Done

• Michael Hyatt's Life Planning

Check out this episode

105: Tara's Last Call!

Thanks so much to everyone who joined the GTD® Virtual Study Group today! What a great call! Tara shared with us so many wonderful memories over the last seven years!  And thanks to Clint Craun for the great visual reminder he gave us over the Google+ Hangout to subscribe to the Tara Show and continue to listen to her amazing words of wisdom!! Thank you again Tara for an unbelievably remarkable and life changing seven years. Your leadership will continue to have a lasting impact on thousands across the globe! We will all be listening closely to all of the great shows you will be producing on the Tara Show!

Check out this episode

104: How to Go From Chaos to Control - Productivity Guru Ciara Conlon Shows Us The Way!

This was our first episode where we leveraged both the call-in number and Google+ Hangouts! It was great to watch Ciara Conlon, a productivity coach, speaker, author of Chaos to Control speak to us and give a presentation on how to avoid getting overwhelmed. So often we get stressed and maxed out; whether it's our productivity system itself, home or work we all get there at some point. She provides some really great tips and best practices for all of us!

Here's a wonderful quote Ciara shared with us:

“If you are depressed you are living in the past. 

If you are anxious you are living in the future. 

If you are at peace you are living in the present.”

-Lao Tzu

Episode Resources:

• Click here for Ciara's presentation, "Overwhelm" - what a great resource!

• The Lift App - a great way to help you with your habits by staying motivated with community support to hold you accountable and cheer you on.

• The Tara Show is live! This is Tara's new podcast and it sounds amazing. Subscribe today!

• Augusto Pinaud's new book iPad Only comes out on 7/12!

Check out this episode

103: Sexy and Soul-full Productivity - Tara Rodden Robinson

Tara Rodden Robinson was our guest! She talked to us about what she's been working on since her announcement that she was leaving the Virtual Study Group, the global response she's received, and her new venture, "Sexy + Soul-full Productivity". This was a fantastic call that you won't want to miss!

Just a couple of housekeeping items: The new website for the study group is http://www.gtdvsg.com. If you have a topic to suggest, you want to give some feedback, or you have question, please email me or head over to our Facebook Page to get updates on our podcast, reminders for the calls.

Here's the links mentioned during the call:

• Full text of Howard Thurman's "sound of the genuine" address

• Tara's book, 40-Days Forward on Amazon

• Tara's Manifestos

• National Dance Day

Check out this episode