How I Work

Amantha Imber
Amantha Imber

You know those annoyingly successful people who seem to have it all figured out? Time to steal their playbook. Organisational psychologist Dr Amantha Imber gets world‑class achievers to spill their secrets - the daily strategies behind their success through to life hacks and productivity hacks they’d rather keep to themselves. We’re talking practical tips for boosting your output (including clever AI tools and shortcuts that’ll make you look like a genius), managing overwhelm without losing your mind, and optimising both work and wellbeing. No motivational fluff. Just battle‑tested tactics from people who’ve cracked the code.

  1. hace 3 días

    The Work Edit: 3 evening strategies to actually help you switch off

    You've read the books. You've locked the phone in a drawer. You've set a hard cut-off at 8 PM. And none of it has lasted more than two weeks.  That's exactly where Shaun found himself. By day he's a senior corporate strategy leader at Bupa, and by night he's the volunteer operations manager for a junior footy club responsible for 450 kids across eight teams. The systems he runs at work are tight. The systems he runs at home? Nowhere to be seen.  In this Work Edit, I sit down with Shaun to figure out why the productivity habits that protect him in his corporate role have never made it home, and what it would actually take to change that. We get into AI knowledge agents, ghost mode, setting expectations as an act of generosity, and a specific gratitude practice I think is worth trying even if you find most of them a bit naff.  If you've ever been brilliant at boundary-setting for everyone else and terrible at it for yourself, this one's for you.  Shaun and I discuss:  Why Shaun's corporate productivity systems work flawlessly at Bupa but have never crossed over into his volunteer role or home life  The AI knowledge agent idea: how building a self-serve FAQ for 450 families could cut the stream of evening messages and remove Shaun as the constant bottleneck  Staying in your lane: why context switching between work mode and parent mode leaves you doing neither well, and the simple question that helps you catch yourself doing it  Ghost mode: the difference between locking your phone away and actually choosing to be fully present, and why that reframe matters  Setting expectations as an act of generosity: how a simple autoresponder or comms window can relieve the guilt of not responding instantly, without making you seem rigid  Three good things: a specific gratitude practice, grounded in research, that quiets a busy work brain at night, and why doing it with your kids makes it even more powerful    More from How I Work  If you related to Shaun's struggle with an always-on role that never quite lets you clock off, I think you'll love my conversation with Katie. She's 18 months into a consulting portfolio career, and saying no is a muscle she's still building. Requests were multiplying faster than she could field them, which is honestly just the same problem wearing a different outfit.  Listen to Katie's episode here.    My latest book The Energy Game is out now. You can order a copy here: https://amzn.to/48ID29M  Connect with me on the socials: Linkedin (https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanthaimber)  Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/amanthai)  If you are looking for more tips to improve the way you work and live, I write a weekly newsletter where I share practical and simple to apply tips to improve your life. You can sign up for that at https://amantha.substack.com/  Visit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes.  Get in touch at amantha@inventium.com.au  Credits: Host: Amantha Imber Sound Engineer: The Podcast Butler  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    The Work Edit: 3 evening strategies to actually help you switch off

  2. hace 6 días

    The 4 recurring tasks you should hand off to AI permanently

    Most people treat AI like a vending machine: you show up, you ask, you wait. But what if there's another way to use it, one where the work gets done before you've even thought to ask for it.  In this How I AI episode, Neo and I explore scheduled prompts: what they are, why they're worth setting up, and how to actually write one that works.  What you'll learn:  What a scheduled prompt is and how it differs from a regular AI conversation  When it makes sense to run a prompt in the background rather than in real time  The kinds of recurring tasks that are well suited to scheduling  How to know when a scheduled prompt has actually run  Neo's trick for writing a prompt worth scheduling again and again  Practical AI tools for productivity and focus  Real-world AI workflows used by high performers  How to use AI at work without burning out  Smart shortcuts for managing time and mental load  Connect with Neo Aplin on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/neoaplin/) and via inventium.ai (https://inventium.ai), where he leads Inventium's AI training and upskilling work with organisations and teams.    How I AI with Dr Amantha Imber and Neo Aplin explores how high performers are using AI at work to boost productivity, make better decisions and reduce overwhelm. Want more practical ways to put AI to work? You can now follow How I AI separately on Spotify or Apple Podcasts so you never miss an episode.   My latest book The Energy Game is out now. You can order a copy here: https://amzn.to/48ID29M  Connect with me on the socials: Linkedin (https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanthaimber)  Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/amanthai)  If you are looking for more tips to improve the way you work and live, I write a weekly newsletter where I share practical and simple to apply tips to improve your life. You can sign up for that at https://amantha.substack.com/  Visit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes.  Get in touch at amantha@inventium.com.au  Credits: Host: Amantha Imber Sound Engineer: Martin Imber  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    The 4 recurring tasks you should hand off to AI permanently

  3. 16 sep

    Steal Jane Lu's system for delegating without losing control

    Hiring someone is one of the highest-stakes decisions a founder makes. Get it wrong and you can lose time, money, and momentum. And after 16 years of building Showpo from her parents' garage into a nine-figure business, Jane Lu is the first to admit they still do not always get it right.  But across all those hires, she has landed on one single biggest red flag she screens for, and it is probably not what you would expect.  In this episode, I sit down with Jane Lu, founder of Showpo, to talk about what that red flag is, how she structures interviews to surface it, why she has built her whole leadership philosophy around being a lazy CEO, and the distinction between dopamine tasks and dividend tasks that explains why so many of us feel busy but stuck.  Jane and I discuss:  How Jane treats her calendar as her external brain, scheduling everything from supplements to podcast links to make good habits frictionless  The difference between dopamine tasks (inbox zero, Slack notifications) and dividend tasks (the work that compounds but offers no immediate reward) and how to stop letting the former crowd out the latter  Jane's content creation workflow and how she gradually built a small team of offshore editors to take the process off her plate  What 16 years of hiring has taught her about misaligned values and ego as the biggest red flags to screen for, and the specific interview questions she uses to uncover them  The accidental lesson in delegation that came from leaving her business to go to a music festival, and how it revealed what systems and a trusted team can do when the founder steps back  The case for being a lazy CEO: building the right culture, setting up strong systems, recruiting well, and then genuinely getting out of the way  Key quotes  "Being lazy is setting up the right systems and processes and really trusting your team."  "The biggest red flag I personally look for when it comes to the wrong people is ego."  Connect with Jane Lu on Instagram, LinkedIn and her website.  More from How I Work  Check out last week's conversation with Cyril Peupion, a great companion listen for anyone wanting a framework for protecting time for the work that actually matters. Listen here.  And if you want to get clearer on what deserves your time and get better at saying no to the rest, we have pulled together a Spotify playlist of our favourite How I Work episodes on exactly that. Find it here.    My latest book The Energy Game is out now. You can order a copy here: https://amzn.to/48ID29M  Connect with me on the socials: Linkedin (https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanthaimber)  Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/amanthai)  If you are looking for more tips to improve the way you work and live, I write a weekly newsletter where I share practical and simple to apply tips to improve your life. You can sign up for that at https://amantha.substack.com/  Visit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes.  Get in touch at amantha@inventium.com.au  Credits: Host: Amantha Imber Sound Engineer: The Podcast Butler  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    Steal Jane Lu's system for delegating without losing control

  4. 13 sep

    3 signs it's time to start a new chat thread

    You've put in the work on your prompts. You know how to give AI the right context, set the right tone, ask the right questions. But then, mid-conversation, something shifts. The AI starts making things up, forgetting what you told it five minutes ago, contradicting itself.  In this How I AI episode, Neo and I unpack what is actually happening when AI gets unreliable mid-conversation, including how to read the warning signs that tell you it is time to close a thread and start fresh.  What you'll learn:  Why AI gets unreliable mid-conversation, and what's actually going on  What the 60% rule is and why it matters  Which file types quietly eat through your context window  The warning signs that it's time to close a thread and start fresh  Practical AI tools for productivity and focus  Real-world AI workflows used by high performers  How to use AI at work without burning out  Smart shortcuts for managing time and mental load  Connect with Neo Aplin on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/neoaplin/) and via inventium.ai (https://inventium.ai), where he leads Inventium's AI training and upskilling work with organisations and teams.    How I AI with Dr Amantha Imber and Neo Aplin explores how high performers are using AI at work to boost productivity, make better decisions and reduce overwhelm. Want more practical ways to put AI to work? You can now follow How I AI separately on Spotify or Apple Podcasts so you never miss an episode.   My latest book The Energy Game is out now. You can order a copy here: https://amzn.to/48ID29M  Connect with me on the socials: Linkedin (https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanthaimber)  Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/amanthai)  If you are looking for more tips to improve the way you work and live, I write a weekly newsletter where I share practical and simple to apply tips to improve your life. You can sign up for that at https://amantha.substack.com/  Visit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes.  Get in touch at amantha@inventium.com.au  Credits: Host: Amantha Imber Sound Engineer: Martin Imber  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    3 signs it's time to start a new chat thread

  5. 9 sep

    Why planning 60% of your day is the most productive thing you can do, with Cyril Peupion

    There's a specific kind of exhaustion that comes not from working hard, but from never quite feeling like you've worked on the right things. You finish a full day, maybe a long one, and yet the projects that actually matter haven't moved. The inbox is cleaner, the meetings are done, but the needle hasn't shifted.  Cyril Peupion has spent two decades coaching executives on exactly this problem, and his diagnosis is consistent: the issue is the gap between where leaders want to go and what they actually spend their time on.  In this episode, I sit down with Cyril, author of Work Smarter, Live Better and his latest book Less Achieves More, to work through his practical framework for closing that gap. He has trained more than 5,000 people across 19 countries.  Cyril and I discuss:  Why high performers prioritise by impact rather than by deadline, and how to train yourself to do the same  The quarterly big rocks process: how to choose two or three genuine priorities and find the courage to subtract everything else  The weekly planning ritual Cyril recommends, including why you should look at your big rocks before you ever open your calendar  The ideal week exercise that helps leaders reclaim 40% of their time without guilt  How to plan for the unplanned by deliberately blocking reactive time in your day  The four Ds (delete, decrease, defer, delegate) for handling the urgent stuff without sacrificing what matters most    Key quotes  "If you work 10 hours a day, you cannot plan 10 hours per day. It's a recipe for disaster."  "I'd rather start my planning from the ideal and then adapt it than start my planning from an open sheet and let everything take control."  Connect with Cyril Peupion on LinkedIn and his website. Check out his latest book Less Achieves More.    If this episode resonated, I also recommend my conversation with Sabri Suby on the subtraction method, where he shares how he ruthlessly outsources anything that isn't his highest value work. You can listen here.   My latest book The Energy Game is out now. You can order a copy here: https://amzn.to/48ID29M  Connect with me on the socials: Linkedin (https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanthaimber)  Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/amanthai)  If you are looking for more tips to improve the way you work and live, I write a weekly newsletter where I share practical and simple to apply tips to improve your life. You can sign up for that at https://amantha.substack.com/  Visit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes.  Get in touch at amantha@inventium.com.au  Credits: Host: Amantha Imber Sound Engineer: The Podcast Butler  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    Why planning 60% of your day is the most productive thing you can do, with Cyril Peupion

  6. 6 sep

    Quick Win: The million-dollar moment that tested Catriona Wallace’s integrity

    When Dr Catriona Wallace was offered a million dollars to take out her nose ring, she didn’t hesitate. Her response wasn’t defiance - it was clarity.  In this Quick Win, Catriona shares how she dealt with the sexism and double standards she faced as a tech CEO, from being told to “brush her hair” to being offered a million dollars to look more like the kind of leader investors expected.  Her story is a reminder that staying true to yourself is sometimes the most strategic move you can make.  Catriona and I discuss:   The moment Catriona was offered $1 million - if she removed her nose ring  The everyday misogyny she faced while leading a listed tech company  Why she refused to compromise, even when it cost her  How staying authentic became her greatest advantage as a leader  The ripple effect of saying “no” from self-respect, not rebellion  KEY QUOTE:  “The moment you start to compromise and change, more things will compromise and change — and you lose who you are.”  Connect with Dr Catriona Wallace on Instagram, LinkedIn, and via her website. Check out her book Rapid Transformation for more on how to embrace change through technology and leadership.  Listen to the full conversation with Catriona here    My latest book The Health Habit is out now. You can order a copy here: https://www.amantha.com/the-health-habit/   Connect with me on the socials: Linkedin (https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanthaimber)   Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/amanthai)   If you are looking for more tips to improve the way you work and live, I write a weekly newsletter where I share practical and simple to apply tips to improve your life. You can sign up for that at https://amantha-imber.ck.page/subscribe   Visit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes.   Get in touch at amantha@inventium.com.au       Credits:   Host: Amantha Imber   Sound Engineer: The Podcast Butler  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  7. 2 sep

    The Work Edit: When gratitude becomes entitlement, and how to reset it

    You give your team something rare. A four-day week. Flexible hours. Real breathing room. And for a while, it works beautifully. Then, gradually, the gratitude fades. The expectation creeps in. And suddenly, the gift feels like a given.  This is one of the more uncomfortable paradoxes of building a genuinely good workplace: the better the culture you create, the faster it becomes the new normal. And once people stop noticing it, they start resenting any friction that interrupts it.   This episode is part of The Work Edit, a format where I sit down with someone facing a real professional challenge and we work through it together. My guest is Marilla, who has spent eight years building Equality Media and Marketing, a 30-person agency where flexible time is a core part of the culture. Marilla came to me with a challenge I hear a lot from leaders of genuinely good workplaces: what do you do when your team starts taking the culture for granted?   If you lead people, this one is full of things you can take straight into your week:  The goat story: an ancient parable that explains why people stop appreciating what's good, and how to use it as a leadership tool  Why Inventium runs a Four Day Week policy reset every one to two years, and the specific questions that make those conversations productive  Why checking emails for 45 minutes feels like "working all night", and what that distortion does to team morale  What to do when one or two people are quietly poisoning the culture, and when to stop trying to bring them around  The "deal or no deal" conversation: how to give people a genuine choice about whether they're still on the bus  The single question I ask before any team-wide pep talk, to make sure I'm not just avoiding a direct conversation I need to have  Key quotes  "All I can control is how I approach the conversation and the messages that I deliver. I can't control how that other person is gonna react."  "Is this about the minority or the majority? Because that's really unfair if it's just the minority that's the root cause of what's happening."    My latest book The Energy Game is out now. You can order a copy here: https://amzn.to/48ID29M  Connect with me on the socials: Linkedin (https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanthaimber)  Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/amanthai)  If you are looking for more tips to improve the way you work and live, I write a weekly newsletter where I share practical and simple to apply tips to improve your life. You can sign up for that at https://amantha.substack.com/  Visit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes.  Get in touch at amantha@inventium.com.au  Credits: Host: Amantha Imber Sound Engineer: The Podcast Butler  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  8. 30 ago

    Quick Win: How to rebuild trust at work when its broken

    Trust doesn’t rebuild with one big apology. It grows back quietly - through small, consistent moments that prove you mean what you say.  In this Quick Win episode, my teammate Aly Solly and I share how we rebuilt trust after one of Inventium’s toughest years. Together, we discovered that trust isn’t restored overnight - it’s rebuilt in small, deliberate ways that show care, honesty, and vulnerability.  Aly and I discuss:  The moment a leadership wellbeing survey sparked real vulnerability  Why openness - when it feels uncomfortable - can transform a relationship  How showing up consistently matters more than grand gestures  The “ugly cry” call that turned a breaking point into a rebuild  What to do when you’re trying to repair trust at work    KEY QUOTES “Trust doesn’t hinge on one big apology or grand gesture. It’s built through the small stuff - the check-ins, the honesty, the willingness to be vulnerable.”  “You don’t wait for the perfect moment. You just start showing up consistently and with care.”    Connect with Aly Solly on LinkedIn.  Listen to the full conversation with Aly here.    My latest book The Health Habit is out now. You can order a copy here: https://www.amantha.com/the-health-habit/  Connect with me on the socials: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanthaimber Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amanthai  If you are looking for more tips to improve the way you work and live, I write a weekly newsletter where I share practical and simple to apply tips to improve your life. You can sign up for that at https://amantha-imber.ck.page/subscribe  Visit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes.  Get in touch at amantha@inventium.com.au  Credits: Host: Amantha Imber Sound Engineer: The Podcast Butler  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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You know those annoyingly successful people who seem to have it all figured out? Time to steal their playbook. Organisational psychologist Dr Amantha Imber gets world‑class achievers to spill their secrets - the daily strategies behind their success through to life hacks and productivity hacks they’d rather keep to themselves. We’re talking practical tips for boosting your output (including clever AI tools and shortcuts that’ll make you look like a genius), managing overwhelm without losing your mind, and optimising both work and wellbeing. No motivational fluff. Just battle‑tested tactics from people who’ve cracked the code.

Información

  • Canal
    Amantha Imber
  • Creador
    Amantha Imber
  • Años de actividad
    2018 - 2026
  • Episodios
    751
  • Clasificación
    Explícito
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Amantha Imber
  • Mostrar sitio web
    How I Work

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