My Pocket Psych: The Psychology of the Workplace

In this episode, Richard and Pilar discuss some very common myths and misconceptions about coaching.  Coaching is just about goals, right? And it's just a conversation. My coach will give me the advice I need! Just a few of the misconceptions we discuss.  Get in touch with your own questions about coaching, or even some examples of coaching misconceptions you've come across. We love to hear from our listeners. Show notes for this episode are available at WorkLifePsych.com/podcast/131 Thanks for listening!

Welcome to another episode of 'My Pocket Psych', where Richard is joined by Dr. Rachael Skews. Rachael has just joined the WorkLifePsych team and discusses how she brings Acceptance and Commitment Theory (ACT) to life in her coaching practice.  After discussing Rachael's career journey to date, Rachael and Richard discuss how different aspects within ACT support the coaching process and how it differs from 'traditional' goal-oriented coaching. They explore the benefits of values clarification, developing the ability to see thoughts for what they are, and taking meaningful action. Finally, they outline the free webinar about introducing coaching, scheduled for March 16th.  Resources for this episode Rachael's online profile - https://www.worklifepsych.com/about-us/dr-rachael-skews/ Our page on Psychological Flexibility - https://www.worklifepsych.com/psychologicalflexibility Details of our free coaching webinar - https://www.worklifepsych.com/ConsideringCoaching

In this episode, Richard and Pilar look at how you can get back on track when it comes to your goals for 2023. Learning from the past and being compassionate with yourself is a great start. but you can also ensure your regular routines and habits can reflect the changes you want to make.  You can find all the resources mentioned in this episode at https://www.worklifepsych.com/podcast/129 Thanks for listening!

In this episode, Richard interviews Lucie Ilbury, an experienced occupational psychologist and member of the WorkLifePsych team.  They explore the concept of derailment and the role that self-awareness plays in avoiding this very negative workplace outcome. While traditionally viewed as happening to the 'snakes in suits', derailment is much more complex and nunced and can occur due to a combination of personality, behavioural and systemic factors.  Do get in touch with your follow-up questions: you can email us at: podcast at worklifepsych dot com, or send us a message on any of our social media accounts, including our new Facebook page: www.facebook.com/worklifepsychltd  Thanks for listening! Resources for this episode Lucie Ilbury's online profile: https://www.worklifepsych.com/about-us/lucie-ilbury/

in this episode, Richard Pilar take a look at the different kinds of future-oriented thinking we can do. As not all of it is helpful, it's useful to distinguish between our planning, our predicting and our 'playwriting'. Let us know if you have any follow-up questions or comments Email us at 'podcast at worklifepsych dot com'  Thanks for listening! Resources for this episode Community Plus: worklifepsych.com/communityplus Blog post: Planning, Predicting or Playwriting? Podcast: First steps in Mindfulness: https://www.worklifepsych.com/podcast/126/ Podcast: Seeing thoughts for what they are: https://www.worklifepsych.com/podcast/ep-056-psychflex-in-action-4-seeing-thoughts-for-what-they-are/

Welcome to episode 126, where Richard is joined by Dr. Sarah Strohmaier, an expert in the science of mindfulness. In this episode, they look at the practicalities of adopting mindfulness practices and how even very brief mindfulness exercises can be beneficial. Despite the term being over-hyped in recent times, the evidence for its impact is quite clear. They also discuss the upcoming masterclass Sarah is running for the WorkLifePsych online community. If you have follow-up questions, you can drop us an email: podcast at worklifepsych dot com Resources for this episode Follow Sarah on twitter: https://twitter.com/sarahstrohmaier Community Plus - our premium online personal development community: https://www.worklifepsych.com/communityplus 'First steps in mindfulness' community masterclass: https://www.worklifepsych.club/posts/28289941?utm_source=manual Blog post: 'Five common myths about mindfulness debunked' https://www.worklifepsych.com/five-common-myths-about-mindfulness-debunked/ Podcast episode: 'Does mindfulness work?' with Sarah Strohmaier https://www.worklifepsych.com/podcast/ep-085-does-mindfulness-work-with-sarah-strohmaier/ Podcast episode: Mindfulness interventions at work, with Antonia Dietmann https://www.worklifepsych.com/podcast/ep-075-mindfulness-interventions-at-work-with-antonia-dietmann/ Blog post: Mindfulness - how to avoid mental time-travel https://www.worklifepsych.com/mindfulness-how-to-avoid-mental-time-travel/ Blog post: Planning, predicting or playwriting? https://www.worklifepsych.com/planning-predicting-or-playwriting/

In this final episode of 2022, Richard explores how we can reflect on the year gone by to better help us plan for the year coming.  It doesn't have to mean big, demanding goals, but the reflection can help us be more realistic and practical about what we want to achieve.

In this episode, Richard takes a look at a common (and frustrating) experience - the tasks that just won’t die! They keep appearing on our lists, just like zombies. There are a few potential causes and thankfully, a few ways we can deal with them. It might be how we prioritise, how we feel about the tasks or the lack of an agreed deadline. But seeing them pop up on your task list every week certainly isn’t motivating! Get in touch with you own experience of ‘zombie’ tasks and how you’ve dealt with them. We love hearing from listeners and you can drop us an email to tell us more: podcast at worklifepsych dot com. Thanks for listening! Resources for this episode Learn more about Community Plus: https://www.worklifepsych.com/communityplus Join Community Plus with a 50% discount via this link: https://www.worklifepsych.club/plans/249856?bundle_token=2eb8d1df9cc95e64161436524e13a8c4&utm_source=manual Ep 049: The Challenges of Task Management -https://www.worklifepsych.com/podcast/ep-049-the-challenges-of-task-management/ Ep 050: Choosing a Task Management app - https://www.worklifepsych.com/podcast/ep-051-choosing-a-task-management-app/ Ep 118: Your Productivity Toolkit - https://www.worklifepsych.com/podcast/118/

This time round, Richard and Pilar discuss Richard's experiment of working a four-day week. We look at why he decided to trial it, how it worked for him and how he benefitted from this working arrangement.  The big question is: will he keep going with a four day week now the experiment is over? There are no one-size-fits-all solutions when it comes to flexible or alternate working arrangements, and this is very much a personal reflection. We'd love to hear your thoughts: are you considering a four-day week for your team or organisation? Have you trialled it? What questions or feedback do you have? Drop us your thoughts via email: podcast at worklifepsych dot com.  Thanks for listening!

In this episode, Richard and Pilar explore some of the reasons we don’t achieve our goals. Even when we are clear where we want to get to and go through the goal-setting process carefully, we still might get in our own way when it comes to progress. We might set goals that are too demanding, or aren’t even something we want to achieve. We can fall prey to popular bandwagons and sign up for something we don’t believe in. We might set a goal too far in the future, or just set the goal because others think we ‘should’. As we explore, goal-setting is just one part of the journey. Understanding how our goals align with our values and having clarity on the first few practical steps we need to take - this makes all the difference. Resources for this episode ‘Goals and when to let them go’ - Post on WorkLifePsych Club https://www.worklifepsych.club/posts/27831626?utm_source=manual Community Plus - worklifepsych.com/communityplus

A very special episode! Richard and Pilar discuss the recent launch of the latest initiative from WorkLifePsych: Community Plus.  It's the premium level membership of our existing WorkLifePsych online community and features a plethora of events to address all aspects of your personal development journey.  In this episode, we look at why Richard launched it, who it's aimed at, and what you can expect from it. You can find out more by visiting worklifepsych.com/communityplus or, if you're already a member of our online community, just click on the 'Groups' menu and you'll see the Community Plus button.  Please get in touch with your questions and comments - we love to hear from our listeners. You can message us on Twitter @MyPocketPstch or send us an email to podcast at worklifepsych dot com.  Thanks for listening!

Welcome to episode 120 where Richard is joined by Dr. Lyn Lanka for a further exploration of the PERMA model for human happiness and flourishing. Together, they explore the impact of small behaviours, why there’s no need to make huge disruptive changes and how you can treat the PERMA model like your very own recipe. Big thanks to Lyn for her expertise and input into this episode. And don’t forget, if you’d like to more about positive psychology and the concept of flourishing, check out episode 113 of the podcast. Please get in touch with any questions either via Twitter (@MyPocketPsych) or by email: podcast at worklifepsych dot com Thanks for listening! Resources for this episode Dr Lyn Lanka: https://www.cranfield.ac.uk/som/people/dr-lyn-lanka-32551017 An introduction to PERMA https://positivepsychology.com/perma-model

In this episode, we return to the vital topic of sleep. Sleep really is the bedrock of our wellbeing, and if we're not getting enough quality sleep, it undermines all the other things we do to stay healthy.  We look at sleep through the lens of our daily habits and explore some of the ways we might be unintentionally depriving ourselves of the sleep we need.  Resources for this episode  'How to have a good day' by Caroline Webb 'Why we sleep' by Matthew Walker Why your wellbeing initiative needs to include sleep

In this episode, Richard and Pilar look at the essentials of any productivity toolkit: a place to keep tasks, a place to keep track of commitments and a place to keep notes.  With so many apps available, we'll look at some of our favourites and explain how they can support your productivity. They go from the totally free through to apps that need some investment.  We'd love to hear about your productivity app recommendations and why they help you get your important stuff done. You can get in touch on Twitter @MyPocketPsych or send us an email at podcast at WorkLifePsych dot com.  Thanks for listening! Resources mentioned in this episode  Task management apps Apple Reminders: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/reminders/id1108187841  "How to level up Apple Reminders": https://youtu.be/qwM8TlR8fk0  Todoist: https://todoist.com Things 3: https://culturedcode.com/things/ Microsoft ToDo: https://todo.microsoft.com/tasks/ Omnifocus: https://www.omnigroup.com/omnifocus/ Trello: https://trello.com Remarkable tablet: https://remarkable.com  Calendar apps Apple’s calendar app: https://support.apple.com/en-gb/guide/calendar/welcome/mac Google Calendar: https://www.google.com/calendar/about/ Microsoft Outlook: https://outlook.live.com/owa/ Fantastical: https://flexibits.com/fantastical Schedule Once: https://www.oncehub.com You can book me: https://youcanbook.me Blog post about the Eisenhower matrix: https://www.worklifepsych.com/whats-the-difference-between-urgent-and-important/  Notes apps Microsoft OneNote: https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/microsoft-365/onenote/digital-note-taking-app Apple Notes: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/notes/id1110145109 Google Keep: https://www.google.com/keep/ Evernote: https://evernote.com Craft Docs: https://www.craft.do Bear Notes: https://bear.app Zoho notebooks: https://www.zoho.com/notebook/ Pocket: https://getpocket.com/

Welcome to episode 117, where we take a look at the importance of rest - for our productivity, our effectiveness and our wellbeing. It’s easy to take it for granted and ‘squeeze’ if in where we can. But being intentional about rest and breaks from work can pay dividends.  Rest isn’t optional, it isn’t the last thing we should think of. Or only consider when we’re too tired to continue or when everything else on our todo list is done. Rest doesn’t have to mean sleep, either. We can take a break from work activities and engage intentionally with leisure activities. Going for a walk. Gardening. Reading.  The bottom line is that we need to prioritise rest as we do everything else we hold as important. Making space and time for rest allows us to flourish in the other domains of life. We’d love to hear how you take breaks and what rest looks like to you. Contact us on Twitter (@MyPocketPsych) or send us an email: podcast at WorkLifePsych dot com).  Thanks for listening! Resources for this episode Shane O’Mara’s book “In Praise of Walking” - https://amzn.to/3vVtO6W  Community post about the importance of rest - https://www.worklifepsych.club/posts/24498264?utm_source=manual  Link to Claudia Hammond’s book - ”The Art of Rest” - https://amzn.to/3BUhIP6  Link to episode on fresh starts - https://www.worklifepsych.com/podcast/096/  Join our online community here: https://www.worklifepsych.club

Welcome to episode 116, where Richard and Pilar explore the importance of getting intentional about managing our inbox. Rather than live in our email inbox, Richard outlines the benefits of another, separate inbox, accessible without delving into your email. Why? Because even in 2022, not all work comes to us via email! We look at how to get clarity on the tasks that come our way, apply some form of prioritisation to them and the importance of differentiating between individual tasks and projects. All in an attempt to focus on the right things and avoid the habit of 'busy'. Thanks for listening! Additional resources Podcast episode on task management: https://www.worklifepsych.com/podcast/ep-049-the-challenges-of-task-management/ Podcast episode on the challenges of task management: https://www.worklifepsych.com/podcast/ep-049-the-challenges-of-task-management/ How to chose a task management app: https://www.worklifepsych.com/how-to-choose-a-task-management-app/ Webinar recording: getting started with Todoist: https://youtu.be/92owmoXNf7s

Welcome to episode 115, where we take an introductory look at the concept of Personal Knowledge Management. This concept has evolved in response to the very real contemporary experience of information overload. When knowledge workers globally are inundated with information from the moment they wake up, how do we decide what to pay attention to? What should we keep for later? And how can we overcome the limitations of our memories, to ensure we can use this knowledge at a later date? Richard and Pilar take a look at the core ideas of knowledge management, how it can be helpful and how you can make a start. We’d love to hear how you address this challenge and how you deal with the ‘firehose of information’ that comes your way each day. Send us a message on Twitter or drop us an email (podcast at WorkLifePsych dot com). We always love to hear from our listeners. Thanks for listening! Resources mentioned in this episode: ‘Building a Second Brain’ - Tiago Forte: https://www.waterstones.com/book/building-a-second-brain/tiago-forte/9781800812215Readwise - https://readwise.ioObsidian notes app - https://obsidian.md

In this episode, Richard and Pilar look at the way anxiety about the working week ahead can ruin our Sundays - the so-called 'Sunday scaries'. We discuss why we can feel this way and some simple approaches to lessen the impact of these thoughts and emotions. Resources mentioned in this episode: Interview with Gemma Roberts: https://www.worklifepsych.com/podcast/112/ Defusion episode: https://www.worklifepsych.com/podcast/ep-056-psychflex-in-action-4-seeing-thoughts-for-what-they-are/ Episode about anxious thoughts and feelings: https://www.worklifepsych.com/podcast/ep-061-anxious-thoughts-and-feelings/ Our task management episode: https://www.worklifepsych.com/podcast/ep-049-the-challenges-of-task-management/

In this episode, Richard is joined by fellow psychologist Dr. Lyn Lanka, who explains the concept of flourishing. In particular, how we can flourish even though we're experiencing difficulties or in a particularly challenging context.  As Lyn explains, it's not just about 'positive emotions' but more to do with taking helpful action to move towards what's important to us.  Big thanks to Lyn for her time and her expertise. If you have follow-up comments or questions, reach out on Twitter @MyPocketPsych, or send us an email (postcast@worklifepsych.com). I’ll share links to the concepts Lyn mentions, as well as her professional profile, in the show notes. By way of reminder, you can always find shownotes by visiting worklifepsych.com/podcast/ . And as always, thanks for listening.

Welcome to episode 112. After our very short break, we’re back! Richard is joined by fellow psychologist and coach, Gemma Leigh Roberts. Gemma has just had her first book published, so we take a look at both what she’s hoping readers will take from ‘Mindset Matters’ and what it’s like to translate the science of resilience into something readers can put into action. Do get in touch with your comments and questions - we love to hear from our listeners.  Thanks for listening! Resources mentioned in this episode: Gemma’s previous appearance on the podcast: https://www.worklifepsych.com/podcast/ep-016-wellbeing-coaching-for-resilience-with-gemma-roberts/The Mindset Matters book: https://www.koganpage.com/product/mindset-matters-9781398604841Gemma’s LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gemmaleighroberts/