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In this episode you’ll learn:
- How to permanently change your habits in 60 seconds or less
- How to get to your goals faster by doing more Great Work
- How to get results by saying ‘no’ to more people, requests and opportunities
Michael Bungay Stanier, founder and senior partner of Box of Crayons, can help you to do more Great Work and less Good Work. Michael is the author of a number of books including Do More Great Work, which has sold some 90,000 copies, and End Malaria which raised $400,000 for Malaria No More.
In this episode Michael offers you his version of what it means to do Great Work. We talk about how to change your habits quickly and effectively with Michael’s New Habit FormulaTM.
Items mentioned in this episode (quick access):
A transplanted Australian living in Canada
[0:01:26] Rob introduces Michael Bungay Stanier from Box of Crayons
[0:04:36] Michael provides a rapid-fire biography. Talking about his childhood in Canberra.
[0:08:40] Michael shares how he adapted a model from Milton Glaser’s book Art of Work to create the Box of Crayons Great Work model.
Inspiration is when your past suddenly makes sense…
[0:09:21] The two ways Box of Crayons helps busy managers and people, like you, to do Great Work: the only work that matters?
[0:09:54] Michael describes the Great Work model: what is great work, good work and bad work?
[0:12:03] How do you now apply these different concepts? Knowing that we are all pulled from many directions, Michael zones in on what Great Work means to him.
“Give people responsibility for their own freedom” – Peter Block
Why you must stop saying ‘yes’ to everything
[0:13:15] Michael offers you three exercises to try to start saying ‘no’ to more.
[0:16:49] Michael suggests that there is something powerful about being able to articulate and define what your Great Work project is.
[0:17:43] One of the metrics of life is that if everyone is happy with you, you’re probably only doing good work, not Great Work.
“What might you give additional courage and focus to?” – Michael Bungay Stanier
[0:18:03] How do you start saying no to more people, requests and opportunities?
[0:19:17] Michael describes how he gets stuck on every Great Work project that he works upon: Getting stuck is part of the deal. How do you get unstuck?
[0:20:39] The importance of thinking time.
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Behind the scenes at Box of Crayons
[0:21:42] The importance of having people around you.
[0:22:55] Who are your supporters? Who have you got that will give you intellectual, emotional and financial support to help you with your Great Work?
[0:23:20] Michael describes how he founded Box of Crayons. He talks about how nowadays he focusses on only the stuff he can do: creating new content and sales.
[0:24:20] Discussing delegation, Michael talks about what is easy for him to delegate and how his wife helps him to let go.
How to really change your habits in less than 60 seconds…
[0:25:22] Michael describes the New Habit FormulaTM model and how it can help you change your behaviour by getting out of the groove: changing your neural pathways.
[0:30:07] What’s inspired Michael in the last seven days? (the answer might surprise you!)
[0:32:54] Great Work requires focus, courage and resilience.
Links and people mentioned in this episode:
- Box of Crayons
- Milton Glaser Art is Work*
- Peter Block
- Charles Duhigg The Power of Habit*
- B. J. Fogg and Tiny Habits®
- Zen Habits
- Gretchen Rubin
- James Hill performing Billie Jean
If you enjoyed this podcast, you’ll also like:
- How To Focus On The Work That Matters (In Less Than 6 minutes)
- Episode 000 What is Inspirational Creatives?
- Episode 001 Greg Hartle
- Episode 002 How to Quit Your Career and Succeed
- Episode 003 Pam Slim
Thanks for listening
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*affiliate links