Beyond the To-Do List

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"Beyond the To-Do List," hosted by Erik Fisher.

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Latest Episodes

Eliana Goldstein on Career Clarity: Align Your Work with Your Strengths

Career coach Eliana Goldstein joins the show to help listeners navigate career uncertainty, burnout, and the desire for more meaningful work. After walking away from a “successful on paper” corporate job, Eliana built a coaching business helping high-achieving professionals uncover their ideal roles—without starting over. In this episode, she shares practical tools to find clarity, build momentum, and create a work life that truly fits.

In this episode, we cover:

Burnout and Misalignment: How feeling drained at work isn’t always about being overworked—it’s often about being out of sync with your strengths.
The First Questions to Ask When You Feel Unfulfilled: Eliana shares the foundational reflections around engagement, values, and flow state.
The Danger of Chasing Passion Alone: Why loving something doesn’t mean you should work in it—and what to focus on instead.
Making a Lateral Move: How to identify if you’re in the right industry but the wrong role—and what small shifts can make a big difference.
The 70/30 Rule for Job Satisfaction: A framework for evaluating whether your current role is “good enough for now” or ready for a pivot.
Mindset Before Resumes: Why confidence and narrative matter more than you think when job searching or switching careers.
How to Separate Facts from Fear: Learn to rewrite the internal stories that hold you back after setbacks like layoffs.
Eliana’s 4-Part Framework: Uncover, Align, Build, and Close—how to make an intentional, structured, and productive career transition.
Networking That’s Not Awkward: How to build meaningful connections for research and referrals—without feeling transactional.
How to Stay Motivated: Small goals, time blocks, and micro wins that keep you moving forward, even in a competitive job market.

Whether you’re ready for a career reset or just want to feel more energized at work, this episode will help you move with clarity and confidence.

Connect with Eliana on LinkedIn or Instagram @ElianaGoldstein or at elianagoldsteincoaching.com.

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John Jantsch on Self-Reliance: How to Build Resilience, Perseverance, and Perspective (Shortcast)

In this Shortcast edition, John Jantsch, author of The Self-Reliant Entrepreneur, draws wisdom from great American writers like Henry David Thoreau, Mark Twain, and William Wells Brown to explore three essential traits for thriving in life and business: perseverance, perspective, and resilience. Rather than chasing productivity hacks, John invites us to dig deeper—into reflection, discomfort, and slow growth.

In this Shortcast, we explore:

Perseverance Through Practice: Inspired by Thoreau, John explains why repeated effort—like walking a mountain trail—is not wasted energy but the very process that builds mastery and meaning.
The Danger of Indestructible Contentment: Borrowing from Twain, John challenges the idea of being too comfortable, encouraging us to embrace discomfort as a path to perspective and growth.
Redefining Resilience: With a reading from William Wells Brown, John reframes procrastination not as laziness, but as strategic patience born of experience—knowing when to act, and when to wait.
Growth Beyond Hustle: John reminds us that true self-reliance isn’t about grinding harder—it’s about trusting yourself, honoring the process, and staying open to what life is teaching you through repetition and challenge.

This episode is a refreshing reset—a deeper look at what it really takes to keep going, stay grounded, and lead with presence.

Find more ⁠Shortcasts like this one on Blinkist here⁠.

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Kendall Berg on Winning the Career Game: The Rules No One Taught You

In this episode, Kendall Berg, author of Secrets of the Career Game: 36 Simple Strategies to Win in the Workplace, shares how to navigate the hidden rules of career advancement. Kendall opens up about her journey from being a technically strong but overlooked employee to someone who rapidly rose through the ranks by learning to play the “career game”—mastering soft skills, advocating for herself, and helping others do the same.

In this conversation, we explore:

Unspoken Rules of the Workplace: Kendall explains how the real game isn’t just about doing good work, but about how you talk about that work and build strategic relationships.
From Invisible to Irresistible: She shares her turning point—from getting tough feedback to rapidly earning five promotions in six years—and how she translated that into coaching others.
Promotable vs. Non-Promotable Work: We discuss how to recognize the difference and how to reframe low-visibility tasks to create impact and visibility.
Your Boss Has No Idea What You’re Doing: Kendall explains why self-advocacy is essential and gives practical tips on how to communicate your value without sounding self-important.
The Game Is Soft Skills: From communication to conflict management, Kendall walks through the non-tactical traits that make or break your trajectory—and how to grow them with intention.

Learn more at https://thatcareercoach.net/ and find Secrets of the Career Game wherever books are sold.

Connect with Erik:

This Podcast is Powered By:

Make sure to grab Shortcasts from Beyond The To-Do List by Blinkist. A Shortcast is a 7-10 min version of a podcast where you get the core takeaways.

Make sure to support the show by⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ checking out the sponsors⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠!

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Camilla Kring on Chronoleadership and Working With Your Body Clock

In this episode, Camilla Kring, author of Chronoleadership: How to Create Healthier and More Productive Rhythms in Your Work and Life, explains how understanding your biological rhythms—and leading with them instead of against them—can unlock greater well-being and performance. Camilla shares how workplaces can become more inclusive by embracing chronodiversity, and how individuals can set boundaries and routines that honor their energy patterns.

In this conversation, we explore:

What Is Chronoleadership? Camilla introduces the concept of leading yourself and others based on chronotype—your body’s natural rhythm for sleep, focus, and energy.
The Myth of the Early Bird: We challenge traditional ideas of productivity and explore how early start times can exclude or harm night owls and others with nontraditional energy curves.
Designing Rhythms, Not Routines: Camilla helps reframe time management not around fixed schedules but around flexible rhythms that support health and creativity.
Chronodiversity in the Workplace: From flexible start times to outcome-based management, we talk about how leaders can design more inclusive work environments.
Parenting, School, and Chronotypes: We also explore how respecting biological rhythms applies beyond the workplace—to how we raise kids, structure schools, and design home life.

Camilla’s work invites us to stop fighting time and start aligning with it—for the sake of our energy, health, and leadership.

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Make sure to support the show by⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ checking out the sponsors⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠!

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Jonathan Levi on Memory Hacks: How to Learn Faster and Remember More (Shortcast)

In this Shortcast edition, Jonathan Levi, author of The Only Skill That Matters, shares practical techniques to improve memory, focus, and reading speed by training your brain rather than relying on talent or willpower. Levi breaks down the myths about memory and introduces powerful tools like visual mnemonics, speed reading, and memory palaces that can transform how we learn and retain information.

In this Shortcast, we explore:

Memory Is a Trainable Skill: Jonathan debunks the idea of a “bad memory,” explaining that most memory issues are due to poor technique, not inability.
Visual Mnemonics: He introduces simple strategies for encoding new information using silly or striking mental imagery—making recall faster and easier.
Speed Reading That Actually Works: Jonathan outlines how scientifically supported speed reading (600–750 words per minute) is achievable with the right eye movement training and comprehension techniques.
The Memory Palace Technique: Borrowed from ancient Greece, this method helps store and organize large quantities of information with near-perfect recall.
Building Cognitive Infrastructure: Jonathan emphasizes the power of mental systems—like categorizing words in a new language—to enhance retention and recall over time.

Find more ⁠Shortcasts like this one on Blinkist here⁠.

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Mamie Kanfer Stewart on Meeting Smarter: How to Stop Wasting Time at Work (Shortcast)

In this Shortcast edition, Mamie Kanfer Stewart, co-author of Momentum: Creating Effective, Engaging and Enjoyable Meetings, explains why meetings are one of the biggest productivity drains—and how to fix them. From clarifying desired outcomes to optimizing who’s in the room, Mamie shares practical, people-focused strategies to make meetings more effective, purposeful, and energizing.

In this Shortcast, we explore:

Start With the Outcome: Don’t ask, “What’s the purpose of the meeting?” Ask, “What do we want to achieve?” This mindset shift transforms how meetings are planned and executed.
Alternatives to Meeting: Mamie highlights when meetings aren’t needed—and how tools like email or asynchronous comments can often deliver the same outcome with less time.
Before, During, and After: She outlines a full meeting workflow—from designing the agenda around outcomes, to assigning timekeepers and capturing key decisions and next steps.
Fixing Meeting FOMO: We dive into how a culture of over-inviting people to meetings can waste time and lead to disengagement—and what to do instead.
Reframing Meetings as Real Work: When done right, meetings are collaborative work, not interruptions. Mamie encourages giving them the same intentionality as solo tasks.

Mamie’s insights help shift meetings from draining distractions to meaningful, productive moments that move work forward.

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Mike Vardy on The Productivity Diet: Feeding What Fuels You

I’m excited to welcome back Mike Vardy to the show. Mike is a productivity strategist, longtime friend of the podcast, and the author of The Productivity Diet: A Practical Guide to Nurturing Your Productive Potential. In this conversation, we dive into how the language, systems, and inputs you choose each day can either nourish or deplete your ability to do meaningful work.

In this episode, we cover:

Productivity as Nutrition, Not Punishment: Mike explains the “diet” metaphor—how productivity isn’t about restriction, but about choosing sustainable inputs that fuel the life you want.
Mental Calories and Decision Fatigue: We explore the idea of cognitive nutrition and how overloading your brain with options, tabs, and to-dos creates burnout.
Intentional Constraints: Mike shares how building structure around time, energy, and attention helps avoid binging on urgency and makes space for deeper work.
The Language of Productivity: From calling tasks “ingredients” to using meal metaphors, Mike breaks down how naming things differently changes your relationship to work.
Identity-Based Planning: He outlines how aligning your calendar and task list with your future self leads to better follow-through and less internal resistance.
Productivity Styles and Personalization: Mike introduces the idea of “productivity personas,” encouraging listeners to build systems that honor their natural rhythms.
From Should to Could: We talk about reframing productivity from a guilt-fueled obligation into an opportunity to nourish what matters most.

This conversation is equal parts practical and philosophical. If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by productivity advice—or burned out trying to do it all—Mike’s approach offers a refreshing, sustainable alternative.

Learn more at MikeVardy.com or grab The Productivity Diet wherever books are sold.

Connect with Erik:

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Make sure to support the show by⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ checking out the sponsors⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠!

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Donald Miller on Productivity: How to Focus, Finish, and Find Meaning (Shortcast)

In this Shortcast edition, Donald Miller, author of Building a StoryBrand, shares how applying storytelling principles can bring clarity, purpose, and momentum to your personal and professional life. Drawing from narrative theory, Donald explains how to see your life as a story—complete with a clear goal, supporting characters, and an inciting incident—and how productivity begins with the power of focus and finish.

In this Shortcast, we explore:

The Life-as-Story Framework: Donald outlines the classic storytelling structure and how it applies to real life: a character with a problem, a guide, a plan, and a call to action that leads to either success or failure.
The Power of an Inciting Incident: We discuss how deliberately creating an inciting incident—like signing up for a marathon or making a public commitment—can push you into meaningful action.
Designing the Ideal Workday: After battling writer’s block, Donald took a road trip and absorbed every productivity audiobook he could, using what he learned to build a personalized, high-focus day planner.
Focus and Finish: Donald explains how the two most important productivity principles are narrowing your focus and completing what you start—because only finished work makes an impact.
Clearing the Clutter of Life’s Script: By eliminating unnecessary “characters” and distractions from your life story, you can make space for the plot that actually matters.

Donald’s insights offer a unique, narrative-driven approach to productivity that helps you clarify your goals, trim the distractions, and finish what matters most.

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Cynthia Kane on The Pause Principle: How to Keep Your Cool in Tough Situations

In this episode, Cynthia Kane, author of The Pause Principle: How to Keep Your Cool in Tough Situations, joins the show to discuss how to improve communication by mastering the art of pausing. Cynthia, a communication expert, explains why taking a moment to pause before reacting in difficult situations can lead to more effective and mindful communication, preventing misunderstandings and reducing stress.

In this conversation, we explore:

The Power of Pausing: Cynthia discusses how the pause is a critical tool in communication, especially in high-stress situations, and how it can prevent knee-jerk reactions that lead to regret.
The Science Behind Our Responses: We explore how our biology and evolutionary instincts push us into fight, flight, or freeze modes during stressful conversations, and how pausing helps override these instincts.
The SOFTEN Method: Cynthia introduces the SOFTEN method—Sensation, Owning your discomfort, Focusing on the present moment, Taking a breath, Eyes towards another, and Need to say—and explains how each step can help us communicate more effectively.
Building the Habit of Pausing: Cynthia provides practical tips for incorporating the pause into our daily interactions, whether in personal or professional settings, and how to recognize when we’re falling back into old communication patterns.
The Digital Disconnect: We talk about how to apply the pause principle in digital communication, where the immediacy of responses can often lead to more miscommunication and stress.

Cynthia’s approach to pausing offers a simple yet powerful way to enhance your communication skills, reduce stress, and create more meaningful conversations.

Learn more about Cynthia and her work at CynthiaKane.com and find The Pause Principle wherever books are sold.

Connect with Erik:

This Podcast is Powered By:

Make sure to support the show by⁠⁠⁠⁠ checking out the sponsors⁠⁠⁠⁠!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Bio of Beyond the To-Do List

"Beyond the To-Do List," hosted by Erik Fisher, is a valuable resource for those seeking to enhance their productivity.

This podcast brings together experts, authors, and creative individuals to share a plethora of productivity strategies.

Its mission is to empower listeners with practical knowledge, fresh perspectives, and insightful productivity tips.

By doing so, it assists individuals in leading more fulfilling lives that extend beyond the limitations of mere to-do lists.

Whether you're a professional, an entrepreneur, or someone looking to optimize your daily routines, this podcast offers a diverse range of strategies to help you achieve your goals and make the most of your time.

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