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About this Episode:

In this episode of The Transformative Leader Podcast, I’m excited to bring you a conversation with author, speaker, and productivity expert, Maura Thomas, about using “attention management” skills to achieve success and fulfillment, at work and in life. After studying productivity methodologies worldwide for more than two decades, Maura realized many traditional “time management” principles no longer apply to modern life. Her new book, Attention Management: How to Create Success and Gain Productivity – Every Day, reveals how to ditch traditional time management tactics and break free from the distractions of daily life.

Instead, “attention management” is a key principle of Maura’s Empowered Productivity System, a workflow management system that puts people back in the driver’s seat of their lives and helps unleash their genius. Combining proven productivity techniques with emerging information on attention, distraction, neuroscience, technology development, and behavioral change, her proprietary system is a methodical approach to overcoming the constant distractions of modern life that contribute to professional burnout. Tens of thousands of individuals at thousands of diverse organizations, including the U.S. Army, Dell, and Opus One Winery, have gone through Maura’s proprietary system to great success.

I think we all personally know how important time management and productivity are in modern life. It seems that as the world gets smaller, and technology develops, everything goes faster and faster, so it is easy to feel as if you’re getting left behind. The insights that Maura shares in this episode and in her work are so transformative when it comes to taking back control of your personal and professional life from distractions and wasted time, and I know listeners will get so much out of the perspective she is offering.

Some topics discussed in this episode include:

• Maura’s journey to becoming an expert in time management and productivity.

• The difference between time management and attention management, and why it matters.

• Where traditional “time management” advice falls short and how to make it more effective.

• One bad habit that people can change to improve their productivity immediately.

• How organizations can build cultures that encourage and support productivity and discourage disengagement.

Maura Nevel Thomas is an award-winning international speaker, trainer and author on improving productivity and work-life balance. She has trained tens of thousands of individuals at thousands of organizations to achieve greater results through her proprietary Empowered Productivity System. She is a TEDx speaker and author of Personal Productivity Secrets and Work Without Walls. Maura is regularly featured as a productivity and attention management expert in a variety of national business outlets including The Wall Street Journal, NPR, Fast Company, Entrepreneur, Forbes, The Huffington Post, and the Harvard Business Review, where he articles have been viewed over a million times. Maura grew up in a suburb north of Boston and earned an MBA from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Today, she’s based in Austin, Texas, where she offers her time and productivity expertise to a variety of different community organizations and charities.

Guest Links:

To learn more about Maura and her work, you can visit her website, where you can also complete a free assessment of your productivity skills. You can also connect with Maura on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and by emailing her at maura@regainyourtime.com.

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