Undo – How history's outliers got stuff done podcast

Undo – How history's outliers got stuff done

An investigation into how history’s oddballs, outliers, and overachievers built systems to help them do their best work. Each episode unearths a so-called productivity hack from history to help you separate the brilliant from the bullshit, so you can build a methodology that works for you. Productivity isn’t about getting more done to feed a money-seeking monster with an ever-growing appetite. It’s about clearing the clutter so you can focus on what you do best. Because if Edison can invent the lightbulb without Inbox Zero, you can probably survive without 10x-ing your toothbrush routine.

An investigation into how history’s oddballs, outliers, and overachievers built systems to help them do their best work. Each episode unearths a so-called productivity hack from history to help you separate the brilliant from the bullshit, so you can build a methodology that works for you. Productivity isn’t about getting more done to feed a money-seeking monster with an ever-growing appetite. It’s about clearing the clutter so you can focus on what you do best. Because if Edison can invent the lightbulb without Inbox Zero, you can probably survive without 10x-ing your toothbrush routine.

 

#26

Why I'm ditching Spotify and why you should too

Recently it’s come to our attention that Daniel Ek, the CEO of Spotify, who [Forbes estima... more

25 Jun 2025

01 MINS

01:17

25 Jun 2025


#25

Congrats, you’re burned out! Here’s what to do next

Burnout is something that affects neurotypicals and neurospicies alike, so today we’re goi... more

15 Jun 2025

23 MINS

23:27

15 Jun 2025


#24

You aren’t lazy; you’re fighting a broken system – Ignacio Martín-Baró

Modern work pressures call for some radical resistance, and we’re going to look for it whe... more

08 Jun 2025

23 MINS

23:56

08 Jun 2025


#23

“Busy is the New Stupid” – What does Warren Buffett know about real work?

Is there anything this 94 year-old business mogul can teach us about our attitude towards ... more

01 Jun 2025

21 MINS

21:57

01 Jun 2025


#22

The Hitchhiker's Guide to Productivity

Highlights from Mark's podcast dedicated to the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, which co... more

25 May 2025

31 MINS

31:29

25 May 2025


#21

How to remember everything — Tiago Forte and his Second Brain

We need a system to keep our brain clear of all those nagging little tasks and bits of inf... more

18 May 2025

27 MINS

27:04

18 May 2025


#20

How to build a car or plan a wedding using Kanban

We can learn a lot from the world of manufacture and bring it into the work that we do. Su... more

11 May 2025

19 MINS

19:51

11 May 2025


#19

Why giving less than 100% is better for your health

The whip-cracking "give it all you got" business bro bullshit isn’t just insensitive – it’... more

04 May 2025

17 MINS

17:44

04 May 2025


#18

Buckminster Fuller and the system of You

Modern work needs a more modern approach than Taylorism's simple "one right way". Enter sy... more

27 Apr 2025

21 MINS

21:09

27 Apr 2025


#17

What Sherlock Holmes can teach us about productivity and our brains

He’s the world’s first and only consulting detective, and his mind has fascinated us for o... more

20 Apr 2025

24 MINS

24:38

20 Apr 2025


#16

How to stick to it when the novelty wears off – Atomic Habits

Could there be more to habit building than “just showing up”? On those days when you can’t... more

13 Apr 2025

27 MINS

27:14

13 Apr 2025


#15

How to turn your side hustle into your main gig – “The One Thing”

While we might not come up with a paradigm-shifting idea, we are capable of putting a dent... more

06 Apr 2025

28 MINS

28:20

06 Apr 2025


#14

20% of your effort makes up 80% of your success — The Pareto principle

How you can use this law of nature, work, productivity and creativity to focus on the stuf... more

30 Mar 2025

26 MINS

26:08

30 Mar 2025


#13

How to be a polymath – Leonardo da Vinci

Being a creative person in this most digital of decades means needing to be good at more t... more

24 Mar 2025

23 MINS

23:33

24 Mar 2025


#12

The super-productive women missing from time management history

Let’s spend a bit of time today with some of the women of productivity history, some of wh... more

17 Mar 2025

21 MINS

21:00

17 Mar 2025


#11

How Ben Franklin used timeboxing to stop missing deadlines

If you have to meet any kind of regular publishing schedule, you’ll know how time can stre... more

10 Mar 2025

22 MINS

22:17

10 Mar 2025


#10

What happened to the Inbox Zero guy?

Inbox Zero is a pretty good way of organising your email, but behind the system is a dude ... more

03 Mar 2025

26 MINS

26:31

03 Mar 2025


#9

How to make fewer mistakes – The Checklist Manifesto

Simple mistakes are more common than it’s comfortable to admit. But there’s a dirt-simple ... more

24 Feb 2025

23 MINS

23:38

24 Feb 2025


#8

How to work when the sky’s caving in — Lincoln vs Churchill

When things look bleak, either in your head or out in the world, being “productive” is pro... more

17 Feb 2025

27 MINS

27:00

17 Feb 2025


#7

Bullet Journal – Productive or performative?

Can this analogue system for a digital age really help us get more done? Has it strayed fr... more

10 Feb 2025

20 MINS

20:42

10 Feb 2025


#6

How to get into the zone — Flow

Time stands still and you’re in that sweet-spot where the work you're doing is challenging... more

03 Feb 2025

19 MINS

19:36

03 Feb 2025


#5

The tomato of productivity – the Pomodoro Technique

It’s four o’clock in the afternoon, and you’re thinking over your day. Did you actually ge... more

27 Jan 2025

19 MINS

19:12

27 Jan 2025


#4

Do the worst thing first thing (”Eat the frog”)

“Eat a live frog every morning, and nothing worse will happen to you for the rest of the d... more

20 Jan 2025

15 MINS

15:35

20 Jan 2025


#3

Work expands to fill the time available – Parkinson’s Law

Studies show if you give people 60 minutes to complete a task that only takes 30, they’ll ... more

13 Jan 2025

14 MINS

14:06

13 Jan 2025


#2

The Eisenhower Matrix – Decision-making in the White House

How do you decide what needs to be done now, and what can wait? And how do you take care o... more

06 Jan 2025

13 MINS

13:50

06 Jan 2025


#1

Introducing Undo

Coming January 2025. Humans will do anything to avoid the actual work they said they’d do.... more

08 Nov 2024

01 MINS

01:11

08 Nov 2024