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Beyond the To-Do List - Productivity for Work and Life

Beyond the To-Do List - Productivity for Work and Life

Written by: Erik Fisher
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About this listen

Conversations with productivity experts, authors, and creatives on how to implement productivity strategies in both your professional and personal life. The goal as you listen is to help you gain perspective, practical knowledge, and productivity insights for living a whole life that goes Beyond The To-Do List.

© © 2023 Erik Fisher Careers Economics Leadership Management & Leadership Personal Success Self-Help Success
Episodes
  • Productivity Without Burnout: Executing With Agency Instead of the Illusion of Control

    Productivity Without Burnout: Executing With Agency Instead of the Illusion of Control
    Jan 8 2026

    Welcome to the first episode of 2026! If you’re feeling that “new year, new me” pressure: goals, plans, fresh calendars, the whole thing—this one’s for you. Because when life inevitably punches your perfectly color-coded week in the throat, the issue isn’t your planning… it’s what you thought planning could control. This episode is all about Control vs. Agency—and how to stay productive when outcomes refuse to cooperate.

    In this episode we cover:

    • Why Control Breaks (and Agency Doesn’t): Control tries to guarantee outcomes; agency chooses your response when the day goes sideways.

    • The Identity Trap of Productivity: What happens when “being on top of things” becomes self-worth—and why that makes disruptions feel like failure.

    • The 4-Step Agency Process: Name what you’re trying to control, separate what’s in your hands vs. not, choose one “agency lever,” then replan from reality.

    • Stabilization Over Catching Up: Why the goal isn’t to “win the week,” but to stop the panic spiral and choose the next stabilizing move.

    • Plan Like a Menu (Not a Script): Scripts make you panic when life changes a line; menus give you options when the day changes the plot.

    If you’ve been stuck in the loop of “I did everything right and still lost control,” this episode is your reminder that you don’t need a new system—you need a different stance. You may not control the story, but you do get to choose how you show up on the page.

    • Brain.fm - Music specifically engineered to help you focus, relax or recharge.

    Connect with Erik:

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    21 mins
  • Productivity A-Z 2025 - Part 2: Letters N-Z

    Productivity A-Z 2025 - Part 2: Letters N-Z
    Dec 30 2025

    I’m excited to welcome Mike Vardy back to Beyond The To-Do List for one of our ongoing traditions: Productivity A-Z!

    This is Part 2 of a two-part conversation — and we split it across both shows. Part 1 is over on Mike Vardy’s podcast, A Productive Conversation. You can also watch the whole two part video here.

    Here on Beyond The To-Do List, we pick up the thread and cover letters N-Z.

    In this part of the conversation, we cover:

    • What “Nuance” Actually Means for Productivity: Moving beyond rigid rules and one-size-fits-all advice into decisions that fit real life.
    • Pacing vs. Speed: Why sustainable progress is less about going hard and more about going smart—without the burnout tax.
    • Rhythm and Cadence: How to build productivity patterns that flex with your energy, your season, and your responsibilities.
    • Rest as Part of the System: Why recovery isn’t a bonus feature—it’s a core component of doing meaningful work consistently.
    • The Middle Ground Between Chaos and Control: How to keep enough structure to stay on track, without so much rigidity that the whole system snaps.


    Connect with Erik:

    • ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
    • ⁠⁠Instagram
    • ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠


    This podcast is Powered By:

    • ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Descript⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
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    • ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Rodecaster Pro⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
    • ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Top Productivity Books List⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠


    See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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    58 mins
  • Annie Duke on Better Decisions: How to Decide at Work and Life

    Annie Duke on Better Decisions: How to Decide at Work and Life
    Nov 18 2025
    I’m excited to revisit this conversation with Annie Duke to the show to talk about her book, How to Decide: Simple Tools for Making Better Choices. Annie is a former professional poker player turned decision strategist who blends cognitive psychology, high-stakes poker, and practical frameworks to help us make better choices in work and life—even when we don’t have all the information. In this conversation, we cover:Luck, Skill, and Outcomes: Annie explains why we need to stop judging our decisions solely by outcomes—and how separating luck from skill leads to better learning and better choices over time. Thinking in Bets and Living with Uncertainty: Drawing from her poker career and academic background, Annie shows how “thinking in bets” helps us navigate uncertainty, manage risk, and make sound decisions even when the long run is a long way off. Simple Decision Tools and Knowledge Tracking: We talk about practical decision processes—like writing down what you knew, what you believed, and what you predicted at the time—to close feedback loops faster and improve your judgment without needing 10,000 repetitions. Escaping Bias, Sunk Costs, and Identity Traps: Annie unpacks how status quo bias, sunk cost fallacy, and “identity-protective cognition” keep us defending past choices instead of seeking truth—and how a better decision process helps us see options more objectively. Confidence, Quitting, and Knowing When to Pivot: We explore how to calibrate confidence, tell the difference between a mountain and a molehill, and decide when perseverance serves you—and when it’s wiser (and more productive) to climb back down and choose a different path. Annie’s insights take decision-making out of the realm of “go with your gut” and into a practical, repeatable process you can use for everything from small daily choices to major career moves. If you’ve ever looked back and thought, “If I knew then what I know now…”, this episode will give you tools to reduce those regrets and make more confident, informed decisions going forward. Learn more about Annie and her work at AnnieDuke.com, where you’ll find her books, talks, and newsletter, along with ways to connect further. You can also find How to Decide wherever books are sold.Connect with Erik:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Threads⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠This Podcast is Powered By:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Descript⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Descript 101⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Castmagic⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ecamm⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Podpage⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Rodecaster Pro⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Top Productivity Books List⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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    1 hr
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