We make decisions all the time. Are you conscious of the ones you’re making? During this episode, we are joined by Focusologist Penny Zenker, a captivating public speaker, business strategy coach, and best-selling author. Her work has been featured on NBC News, Forbes, ESPN, and more, and today she joins us to share her insights on the psychology of productivity and focus. Penny’s story begins with a tragic event at the age of 19, and she talks about the turning point that this created in her life, totally transforming her relationship to meaning, control, and making the most of her one precious life. Diving into the content of her TED Talk, she distinguishes between positivity and intentionality, before sharing insights on productivity from her book, The Productivity Zone. Penny gets real about her own relationship to focus, and how she reels in her tendency to say yes to everything before unpacking her thoughtful delegation strategy. We discuss what it might look like to shed the all-or-nothing approach to delegation and hiring by really understanding the value of your time, and how to set priorities according to Penny’s two-quadrant theory. Don’t miss this opportunity to hear how Penny makes the complex simple, through her memorable, accessible approach.
Key Points From This Episode:
- Background on guest Penny Zenker, author, public speaker, and productivity specialist.
- The story behind the moniker, ‘the Focusologist’.
- How Penny first became interested in the work she specializes in today.
- Finding meaning in her father’s death when she was 19.
- The semester abroad that she spent at JP Morgan.
- Asking the question, “What else could this mean?”.
- Her role at Tony Robbins and how being rejected for speaking sparked a new journey.
- More on her TED Talk, The Energy of Thought.
- Distinguishing between positivity and intentionality.
- Becoming conscious of the decisions we are making.
- Insights from her book, The Productivity Zone, on barriers to productivity.
- Three things that support getting into the zone as a high achiever
- Examples of how Penny resets and approaches her tendency to say yes to everything.
- How failing to delegate can sabotage productivity, especially as a leader.
- Challenging yourself to ask questions about where you are most effective and where you can let go.
- Penny’s thoughts on hiring others and understanding the value of your time.
- Setting the necessary criteria to set priorities.
- Becoming more dynamic in changing the way that we do things.
- Where to pre-order The Reset Mindset.
- Why her approach to focus is different: it’s simple, accessible, sticky language.
Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:
Penny Zenker
Penny Zenker on X
Penny Zenker on LinkedIn
Penny Zenker’s TEDx Talk
The Reset Mindset
The Productivity Zone
Tony Robbins
Ryan Lang on LinkedIn
Brook Bishop on LinkedIn
Empire Partners
Empire Academy
The Coaching Equation Podcast on iTunes
