The Greg McKeown Podcast
604 episodes - English - Latest episode: 27 days ago -Design a life that really matters. I’m your host, Greg McKeown, author of New York Times bestsellers "Effortless" and "Essentialism" and I’m on mission to help you advocate and negotiate your way to remarkable results without burning out. Come with me on this journey every Tuesday and Thursday as we examine the most essential areas of our lives. Learn more about my books and courses at https://GregMcKeown.com.
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Episodes
207. The Bottleneck to Everything You Want (Replay)
June 27, 2023 07:00 - 23 minutesWelcome to the Greg McKeown podcast. Today's episode is a replay of one of his most popular episodes, The Bottleneck to Everything You Want. Thanks for listening. Join my weekly newsletter at GregMcKeown.com/1mw Learn more about my books and courses at GregMcKeown.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
206. The Jobs-to-be-Done Theory with Tony Ulwick (Part 2)
June 22, 2023 07:00 - 24 minutesToday we are back with part two of my conversation with Tony Ulwick. By the end of today's episode, you will better be able to identify the real job to be done with the people you interact with. That will increase your influence tenfold, while significantly reducing the times that you put effort into creating a new product, or a new service for somebody else that ultimately isn't even valued. Learn more from Tony here: https://strategyn.com/tony-ulwick/ Join my weekly newsletter at GregMcKe...
205. 10X Your Results with Less Effort (Replay)
June 20, 2023 07:00 - 21 minutesWelcome to the Greg McKeown podcast. Today's episode is a replay of one of his most popular episodes, 10X Your Results with Less Effort. Thanks for listening. Join my weekly newsletter at GregMcKeown.com/1mw Learn more about my books and courses at GregMcKeown.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
204. The Jobs-to-be-Done Theory with Tony Ulwick (Part 1)
June 15, 2023 07:00 - 24 minutesHave you ever wondered why there are so many massive flops in business? How many products and services are launched and then almost immediately forgotten? How can companies spend millions and sometimes billions of dollars to produce something that customers ultimately say is not for them? Today I've invited Tony Ulwick, one of the fathers of the Jobs-to-be-Done theory, to help us understand this phenomenon. This is part one of a two part interview, so tune in for part two next week! Learn mor...
203. Being Understood Is Not the Same As Feeling Understood
June 13, 2023 07:00 - 12 minutesIt has long been thought that understanding others is the key to great relationships, but this may be false. What we know now is that helping people feel understood is the key to connection. By the end of this episode, you'll be able to better distinguish the difference and therefore shift from understanding others to helping other people feel understood, and that makes all the difference. Join my weekly newsletter at GregMcKeown.com/1mw Learn more about my books and courses at GregMcKeown....
202. Making Communication Memorable with Matt Abrahams
June 08, 2023 07:00 - 31 minutesToday I've invited Matt Abraham's to the show. Matt is a lecturer at Stanford, he specializes in the essentials of strategic communication, and is the host of the Think Fast Talk Smart podcast. I reached out to Matt to issue a friendly challenge, by way of an invitation, to think fast and talk smart on this podcast. By the end of this episode, you will be able to make your communication more memorable. Learn more from Matt here: https://nofreakingspeaking.com/ Join my weekly newsletter at Gr...
201. From Problem Solving to Problem Finding (Part 4)
June 06, 2023 07:00 - 15 minutesHave you ever felt frustrated by the gap between what you feel is essential and your ability to actually execute it? Have you perhaps had that desire for a long time? Maybe it's years now, but still your life is busier and less fulfilling than you wish it was. Today I'm going to share with you a story that I think can really help you if you are struggling with this, and also a mindset and some actionable advice. By the end of today's episode, you'll be able to evaluate all of the things you'v...
200. From Problem Solving to Problem Finding (Part 3)
June 01, 2023 07:00 - 12 minutesThis is part three of a four part solo series on solving the right problem in the life of business and in the business of life. It matters because nothing is more irrelevant or even dangerous as solving the wrong problem. In today's episode, I'm going to go deeper in how to implement the Jobs to Be Done framework. By the end of today's episode, you will have a simple process that you can follow, care of Tony Ulwick, for how to turn innovation from an art to a science. This is part 3 of a 4-pa...
199. Finding King Richard III with Philippa Langley (Part 2)
May 25, 2023 07:00 - 20 minutesToday we have part two of my conversation with Philippa Langley. Philippa describes herself as an ordinary person, and maybe she is, but she has achieved an extraordinary mission. She found, against all possible odds, where King Richard III was buried. Nobody else believed her. Nobody in the academies took her seriously, but she had a conviction, a sense, an intuition that she knew where he would be and that's why she kept focusing on it again, and again, and again for eight years. Her story ...
198. From Problem Solving to Problem Finding (Part 2)
May 24, 2023 00:31 - 19 minutesHave you ever worked to launch a product or a service only to see it go flat in the market? Have you ever developed an initiative internally at work only to see the launch fall completely flat? Have you ever put time and energy, and resources into a relationship only to see it go south? Today I will share a powerful failure story, something counterintuitive I have learned, and some actionable advice. By the end of this episode, you will have a six-word question that you can use at work and at...
197. Finding King Richard III with Philippa Langley (Part 1)
May 18, 2023 07:00 - 37 minutesHave you ever felt an intuitive insight pull you towards a particular direction? Have you ever had an experience that you knew was right even though you didn't yet have evidence to support it? Well, today is part one in a two-part series with Philippa Langley. You might not know that name, but perhaps you've heard of a movie that came out recently. It's called The Lost King. It's a dramatic representation of a true story about how Philippa felt an extraordinary desire to discover where King R...
196. From Problem Solving to Problem Finding (Part 1)
May 16, 2023 07:00 - 23 minutesHave you ever been so busy addressing peripheral issues but have that sinking feeling that the real core of the issue is not being addressed? This is part one of a four-part solo series on that subject, and upcoming guest episodes will also be providing more insight on the same subject. By the end of today's episode, you will understand that the seminal research was produced on the distinctive difference between problem finding and problem solving, and you'll begin your journey of improving s...
195. The Shape of Life with Bruce Feiler (Part 2)
May 11, 2023 07:00 - 43 minutesToday is part two of my interview with Bruce Feiler. Bruce is the author of six consecutive New York Times bestselling books. He's a deep thinker and he's interviewed thousands of people to try to understand what really leads to a higher contribution. His research shows that thinking of work as a single linear career where your job is to go higher and higher is not the way to maximize contribution. By the end of this episode, among other things, you will have what Bruce feels is the single mo...
194. Trust (Effortless Work Series)
May 09, 2023 07:00 - 14 minutesHave you ever felt working with people in the workplace is harder than it needs to be? It's long been thought that it's faster and easier to just do things yourself, but this can be such a false economy. What we know now is that the right person makes everything faster, easier, and better than if you try to do it yourself. By the end of this, part four in the series of four parts about how to make work life more effortless, you will be able to select people who make getting the right things d...
193. The Shape of Life with Bruce Feiler (Part 1)
May 04, 2023 07:00 - 39 minutesHave you ever felt that your life could be more than a simple career? Today I've invited Bruce Feiler to be here. He's the author of six consecutive New York Times bestsellers, and by the end of this episode, you'll be able to escape the suffocating idea that all there is to a career is to go higher and higher on a single linear ladder of success. This is not the way to your highest contribution and Feiler will explain how. Learn more about Bruce here: https://www.brucefeiler.com/ Join my we...
192. Increase Productivity in the Workplace (Effortless Work Series)
May 02, 2023 07:00 - 14 minutesHave you ever wished that you could accomplish more by doing less at work? This is part three of a four part series on how to apply Effortless thinking to the sometimes exhausting world of work. By the end of this episode, you will be able to trade off some of the exhausting meetings and replace them with high yield low maintenance delegation. Join my weekly newsletter at GregMcKeown.com/1mw Learn more about my books and courses at GregMcKeown.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit meg...
191. Navigating Life's Biggest Decisions with Abby Davisson (Part 2)
April 27, 2023 07:00 - 32 minutesAre you facing a really big decision in your life right now? Or is someone you know facing an important crossroads? How do you process that? How do you make the best possible decision? Well, this is part two of my conversation with Abby Davisson. She's the author, along with Myra Strober, of a book called Money and Love: An Intelligent Roadmap for Life’s Biggest Decisions. It's based on the popular Stanford University course called Work and Family. In this episode, you will learn how to use t...
190. Make Email Effortless (Effortless Work Series)
April 25, 2023 07:00 - 22 minutesWelcome part two of a four part series on how to apply Effortless thinking to the world of work. Have you ever felt that email was harder than it needs to be? By the end of this episode, you will have practical suggestions you can immediately apply to take one of the most frustrating and exhausting elements of modern work life and make it easier. Join my weekly newsletter at GregMcKeown.com/1mw Learn more about my books and courses at GregMcKeown.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit m...
189. Navigating Life's Biggest Decisions with Abby Davisson (Part 1)
April 20, 2023 07:00 - 37 minutesHave you ever had a decision of consequence to make in your life? Something that really made a difference if you go left versus going right? Should I marry this person? Should I take this job? Should I move to this place? Today I have invited Abby Davisson here. She's the co-author of Money and Love: An Intelligent Roadmap for Life’s Biggest Decisions. By the end of today's episode, you will understand the 5Cs method. It's a step by step way of thinking about the decisions that really matter....
188. Make Meetings Effortless (Effortless Work Series)
April 18, 2023 07:00 - 21 minutesDo you dread attending meetings because they seem like a waste of time and energy? Are you tired of spending your days in back-to-back meetings with little time left to focus on your actual work? If so, this episode is for you. Meetings can be a drain on our time and energy, but they don't have to be. In this episode, the first of a series of four episodes about how to apply effortless thinking to our work lives, I'll begin with something that is anything but effortless – Meetings. Join my w...
187. Reframing Your Problems with Thomas Wedell-Wedellsborg (Part 2)
April 13, 2023 07:00 - 24 minutesWe're back here for part two of my interview with Thomas Wedell-Wedellsborg. He spent years studying the problem of problems and particularly the skill of reframing problems in order to make sure that before we rush into solutions, we are actually addressing the best possible problem. By the end of this episode, you will have practical tools to utilize immediately to be able to improve your skill in this area. Learn more from Thomas here: https://wedellsblog.com/ Join my weekly newsletter at...
186. Cambridge Series – Friends
April 11, 2023 07:00 - 16 minutesWelcome to episode four of four about my adventures at the University of Cambridge. How important are friendships in your life? At the end of this episode, you'll be able to cultivate deeper connections with your friends by creating a safe space for open heart conversation. Join my weekly newsletter at GregMcKeown.com/1mw Learn more about my books and courses at GregMcKeown.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
185. Reframing Your Problems with Thomas Wedell-Wedellsborg (Part 1)
April 06, 2023 07:00 - 25 minutesHow much time, money, and energy do you waste solving the wrong problems? That's a question posed by my guest today. This is part one of a two-part interview with Thomas Wedell-Wedellsborg. I became aware of his work after reading an article that he wrote in Harvard Business Review. By the end of this episode, you'll be able to reframe problems in order to reveal unexpected solutions. Learn more from Thomas here: https://wedellsblog.com/ Join my weekly newsletter at GregMcKeown.com/1mw Lear...
184. Cambridge Series – Cycling
April 04, 2023 07:00 - 13 minutesIn my book Effortless, I asked an important question. What could happen in your life if the easy but pointless things became harder and the essential things became easier? This is episode three of four about my adventures at the University of Cambridge. At the end of this episode, you'll be able to replace one bad habit with a good one by making the bad one harder and the good one easier. Join my weekly newsletter at GregMcKeown.com/1mw Learn more about my books and courses at GregMcKeown.c...
183. Utilizing Neurodiversity with Sir Simon Baron-Cohen (Part 2)
March 30, 2023 07:00 - 32 minutesToday is part two with Professor Simon Baron-Cohen. In this episode, we go deeper into the challenges, but also the opportunities of being neurodiverse. Have you have ever struggled with traditional schooling? Have you ever felt that your mind works differently compared to the people around you? If you work with people who would fit that description or live with people who seem to be somehow on the spectrum, this episode can be exceptionally valuable. By the end of this episode, you will disc...
182. Cambridge Series – Newton
March 28, 2023 07:00 - 15 minutesHave you ever felt like you were too busy living to think about life? By the end of this episode, you will be able to create space for continually deep and uninterrupted concentration. This is number two of four solo episodes about my experience at the University of Cambridge. Join my weekly newsletter at GregMcKeown.com/1mw Learn more about my books and courses at GregMcKeown.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
181. Utilizing Neurodiversity with Sir Simon Baron-Cohen (Part 1)
March 23, 2023 07:00 - 35 minutesHave you ever felt that you were neurodiverse in some way? Did you ever struggle with the traditional school system? Did you or someone you know take away from school the worst of all possible learnings, that you or they were unintelligent? Well, today I have invited Professor Simon Barron-Cohen, the author of The Pattern Seekers: How Autism Drives Human Invention, to be on the show. This is part one of two interviews in which Simon takes from his 40 years of research at the University of Cam...
180. Cambridge Series – King's College Chapel
March 21, 2023 07:00 - 14 minutesI've become aware recently that I haven't really shared very much with you about my experience and adventure here at the University of Cambridge, and for the next four solo episodes I'm going to try and put that right. Have you ever found yourself in a place that made it easier for you to detect your mission in life? By the end of this episode, you will feel inspired, I hope, to seek out places that increase the probability of you detecting, understanding and hearing that mission that is so o...
179. Experiential Intelligence with Soren Kaplan
March 16, 2023 07:00 - 40 minutesHave you ever felt you had more life experience and talent than your job requires or even allows you to use? Today I've invited Soren Kaplan to the show to talk about how you can better tap into that experience yourself, and also in the people around you. I've long believed that what we know about other people is less valuable than what we don't know. That there's an enormous amount of potential under the surface. What's not on someone's resume, what's not in their current job title, and our ...
178. Leadership Essentials
March 14, 2023 07:00 - 18 minutesHow are you doing at applying essentialism to your leadership responsibilities? By the end of this episode, you will have specific things you can do right now to be more attentive, more efficient, and more essentialist in your leadership. Join my weekly newsletter at GregMcKeown.com/1mw Learn more about my books and courses at GregMcKeown.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
177. Psychological Safety in Today's Workplace with Dr. Amy Edmondson (Part 2)
March 09, 2023 08:00 - 34 minutesWhat is happening to the psychological safety of people at work? Is it going up? Is it going down? What is the primary threat to it today, and is it the same as what we had 20 years ago? Well, to discuss this and other questions I've invited back Dr. Amy Edmondson. She's a celebrated Harvard professor, one of the best listeners that I have ever interviewed. She's present, she's real, and by the end of this episode, you are going to be more empowered to be able to create psychological safety i...
176. Eliminate the Nonessentials (Replay)
March 07, 2023 08:00 - 22 minutesWelcome to the Greg McKeown podcast. Greg is in Monk Mode this week. Today's episode is a replay of one of his most popular episodes, Eliminate the Nonessentials. Thanks for listening. Join my weekly newsletter at GregMcKeown.com/1mw Learn more about my books and courses at GregMcKeown.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
175. Psychological Safety in Today's Workplace with Dr. Amy Edmondson (Part 1)
March 02, 2023 08:00 - 37 minutesDo you feel psychologically safer at work now than you did several years ago? It's an interesting question, and today I've invited perhaps the preeminent expert in the world on the subject of psychological safety to discuss that and other things with us. This is Dr. Amy Edmondson, a professor at Harvard, and the person most responsible for making the term psychological safety ubiquitous in the world after she published a paper more than 20 years ago focused on this subject. I knew it was goin...
174. Transforming Mental Clutter into Clarity
February 28, 2023 08:00 - 22 minutesHave you ever felt that your ability to pay attention was in free fall? If you have, you are not alone. By the end of today's episode, you will have a better understanding of why this is happening and one specific tool that you can use to do something about it over the next two weeks. I'm going to share an insightful story from a book I've been reading, 'Stolen Focus' by Johann Hari, and also some actionable advice, which I'll invite you to participate in alongside me. Join my weekly newslet...
173. Protecting Your Peak Attention Windows with Dr. Gloria Mark (Part 2)
February 23, 2023 08:00 - 32 minutesDo you ever feel like there's something in the modern world that fries your brain, that leaves you in red brain, where you're just so pulled in a million directions all the time that it's hard to actually give attention to what's essential? Well, in part two of my conversation with Dr. Gloria Mark, we get into some specific questions you can ask yourself to be able to assess how you are doing and what you can do to increase, and then protect, your peak attention hours. Join my weekly newslet...
172. The Most Important Question in Any Language
February 22, 2023 01:15 - 18 minutesHave you ever had an ongoing disagreement with somebody that was perplexing for you? Today I will share a simple story about misunderstanding, something counterintuitive I have learned from it and some actionable advice. By the end of this episode, you will be able to use the most important question in any conversation, especially where misunderstanding is taking place. Join my weekly newsletter at GregMcKeown.com/1mw Learn more about my books and courses at GregMcKeown.com Learn more about...
171. Protecting Your Peak Attention Windows with Dr. Gloria Mark (Part 1)
February 16, 2023 08:00 - 31 minutesEveryone is distracted by technology, and all of us have experienced this sense that our level of distraction is increasing. Even the speed with which we move from website to website, from app to app seems to be increasing in pace. And there's lots of people out there willing to talk about what we should do and how we can improve. But very few of those people have the data to help us think through this problem and what to do about it with precision. That's why I've invited Dr. Gloria Mark ont...
170. Reduce Your Stress in Two Minutes a Day
February 14, 2023 08:00 - 23 minutesHave you ever had so much stress and anxiety that you could barely sleep at night? Today I will share a powerful story, something counterintuitive I've learned and some actionable advice. By the end of this episode, you will have five research-based tools for reducing stress in two minutes a day or under. Referenced article: Genomic Counter-Stress Changes Induced by the Relaxation Response Join my weekly newsletter at GregMcKeown.com/1mw Learn more about my books and courses at GregMcKeown....
169. How to Fall in Love with the Solution, Not the Problem with Uri Levine (Part 2)
February 09, 2023 08:00 - 32 minutesMany entrepreneurs fall in love with their products, services, and ideas, but according to my guest today, this is wrong. What Uri Levine argues is that you have to fall in love with the problem, not the solution. Uri Levine is a passionate entrepreneur. Unicorns, companies that reach evaluation of more than a billion dollars, are rare, but URI has built two. He's the co-founder of Waze, which is the world's largest community-based driving, traffic and navigation app with more than 700 millio...
168. Designing a Day that Really Matters
February 07, 2023 08:00 - 20 minutesWhat's the most important thing you need to do today? Today I will share a powerful story or two, something counterintuitive I've learned and some highly actionable advice. By the end of this episode, you'll be able to get clear on the most important thing you need to do today, every day. Join my weekly newsletter at GregMcKeown.com/1mw Learn more about my books and courses at GregMcKeown.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
167. How to Fall in Love with the Problem, Not the Solution with Uri Levine (Part 1)
February 02, 2023 08:00 - 33 minutesMany entrepreneurs fall in love with their products, services, their ideas, but according to my guest today, this is wrong. What Uri Levine argues is that you have to fall in love with the problem, not the solution. Uri is a passionate entrepreneur. Unicorns, which are companies that reach valuation of more than a billion dollars, are rare, but Uri has built two. He is the co-founder of Waze, the world's largest community-based driving traffic navigation app with more than 700 million users t...
166. The Disproportionate Power of Language
January 31, 2023 08:00 - 22 minutesHave you ever needed to change the results in a situation where there were lots of things you could not change? It has long been thought that to completely transform morale and performance, you have to have the power to change everything, but this is wrong. What we know now is that there is a smaller, much more doable way to achieve results. Today I will share an inspirational story, some counterintuitive research and some actionable advice. By the end of this episode, you'll be able to use l...
165. Turning Chaos Into Clarity with Alison Jones
January 26, 2023 08:00 - 41 minutesHave you ever felt like there were just too many tabs open in your mind? Today, I've invited Alison Jones, the author of Exploratory Writing: Everyday Magic for Life and Work. By the end of this episode, you will have the simplest of tools that can produce extraordinary results. You'll discover an idea so simple, you'll get it immediately, and yet you've probably never done it before in your life. It will help you to be able to turn the chaos in your mind into clarity and even creativity. Lea...
164. The Human Desire to Be Heard
January 24, 2023 08:00 - 22 minutesDo you crave being heard, to feel someone else really hears you, notices you, sees you, and that what you said matters to them? Today I will share with you an intriguing story, something counterintuitive I'm just on the edge of learning and some actionable advice. By the end of this episode, you will understand one key reason that humans desire so much to be heard. Join my weekly newsletter at GregMcKeown.com/1mw Learn more about my books and courses at GregMcKeown.com Learn more about you...
163. Identifying Your Circle of Competence with Kyle Westaway (Part 2)
January 19, 2023 08:00 - 28 minutesWhat would your business or your life look like if you designed it from scratch using essentialist and effortless principles to guide you? It's long been thought that some industries like private equity, medicine and law just take 80 hour weeks to be successful, but this is false. What we know now is that the way these industries are designed to produce this kind of burnout culture. Today is part two of my conversation with Kyle Westaway, who has designed a law firm from scratch using these p...
162. The Quiet Person with the Answer
January 17, 2023 08:00 - 22 minutesHave you ever been to a meeting where a few loud people dominated the meeting, but the quiet people with the answer didn't even get heard? It's long been thought that if you put the right people in the room, then you'll get the right answer, but this is as false as it can be. What we know now is that you need to lead the right process to be able to get the right ideas to come to the surface. Today, I'm going to share a story or two, some counterintuitive research that I've been reading and so...
161. Identifying Your Circle of Competencies with Kyle Westaway (Part 1)
January 12, 2023 08:00 - 31 minutesHave you ever felt that a monotonous life cannot possibly be an essential life? Have you ever found at the same time that sometimes in what appears to be a monotonous experience, you find something deeply meaningful? Today I have a fascinating conversation with Kyle Westaway. He's an entrepreneur and a lawyer who works with entrepreneurs, and today we discuss how he used essentialism and effortless principles to upend and create a completely new law office, something I've never seen anyone el...
160. It's Not Too Late
January 10, 2023 08:00 - 24 minutesHave you ever had a wake up call where you just suddenly realize you have missed what really mattered? Most of us have learned that we are supposed to live with no regrets, but this, I think, is wrong. What we know now is that regrets can produce the precise data we need to construct a meaningful, rich and essential life. Today, I will share a powerful story, something counterintuitive I've been learning and some actionable advice. By the end of this episode, you will be able to use regret to...
159. Humans Weren't Designed For This
January 05, 2023 08:00 - 31 minutesHave you ever set a New Year's resolution to get healthier? It's an annual tradition to sign up for gym memberships and then never to use them. It's so established that the entire gym business model is based upon people not actually using the service. After all, it's long been thought that to significantly improve your mental and physical health takes expensive gym memberships, newfangled equipment at home, workout trainers and more. But what if all of this is false? What we know now is that ...
158. One Decision That Makes 1000
January 03, 2023 08:00 - 24 minutesIt has long been thought that at the beginning of the new year, you should make a long list of everything that you want to achieve, but that, I believe, is false. What we know now is that what's more important is to have a clear single intent. Instead of simply making an aspiration to do more than you've ever done before, you should focus to do less but better. Have you ever fallen into the trap of making too many New Year's resolutions? Today, I will share a story, something counterintuitive...