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How I Work

How I Work

By: Amantha Imber
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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.

2026 Amantha Imber Career Success Economics
Episodes
  • How to master difficult conversations at work, with Tim Duggan

    How to master difficult conversations at work, with Tim Duggan
    28 Oct 2026
    Around 80% of us will avoid conflict if given the chance, and Tim Duggan was firmly in that camp. In this episode, I sit down with Tim, author of Clear In Tension: How to Get Better at Conflict, to explore how we can all handle conflict with more skill and less dread. Tim spent 15 years running the media company Junkie Media, mediating other people’s disputes, all while dreading conflict himself. We walk through his five-step CLEAR framework, two listening techniques you can use in your very next tough conversation, and what the four symbols tattooed on Amanda Knox’s arm can teach us about finding common ground with anyone. We also talk about why some conflicts will never be solved, and why that is okay. If you have a hard conversation looming, this episode will leave you feeling calmer and far better prepared. ** Free your team from time-consuming procurement tasks. Discover smart business buying, where unmatched selection meets AI-driven tools to simplify complex processes so you can focus on what matters most. Learn more at Amazon.com.au/howiwork ** Tim and I discuss: What Tim learned from becoming an accredited mediator, and why the only way to get comfortable with conflict is to practise it Box breathing as a discreet way to calm your nervous system mid-argument The CLEAR framework: clarify what matters, listen generously, explore what’s underneath, align on a shared direction, and reset your story Mirroring and looping, two simple listening techniques that make the other person feel genuinely heard The difference between positions and interests, and why uncovering someone’s hopes, fears and concerns can solve the problem The four symbols Amanda Knox has tattooed on her arm as her recipe for a difficult conversation Why “agree to disagree” is not a failure, and when walking away is the healthiest option How to rehearse your first line before delivering bad news, a tip I used myself when I had to let people go in 2024 The research on conflict avoiders, the Gottmans’ ratio of positive to negative interactions, and the one word that changes the tone of any disagreement Key quotes “The best stuff happens in tension.” “Sometimes walking away is actually the best thing you can do.” Connect with Tim Duggan on Instagram, X (Twitter), and LinkedIn and his website. Check out his latest book Clear In Tension: How to Get Better at Conflict. More from How I Work If you want to get better at difficult conversations and giving hard feedback, I’ve put together a Spotify playlist of my favourite How I Work episodes on exactly that. You can listen here. And if this episode resonated, a great companion listen is my chat with ex-Atlassian work futurist Dom Price. We get into the two things you might be doing that make difficult conversations harder, how Dom prepares for the tough ones, and how to approach a conversation when you don’t feel safe. 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 ButlerSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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    39 min
  • Still arguing with AI over a bad first draft? Try these 4 tips

    Still arguing with AI over a bad first draft? Try these 4 tips
    25 Oct 2026

    Do you still have a prompt formula saved somewhere, maybe an acronym from an Instagram reel that promised better answers from AI? You paste it in, swap a few words, hit send, and what comes back still misses the mark.

    Years of typing a few keywords into a search box have shaped how we talk to AI, and that habit might be costing you time and patience.

    In this How I AI episode, Neo and I look at why prompt formulas took off, what has changed since, and how to brief AI so you get better work back with far less back and forth.

    What you’ll learn:

    • Why prompt formulas became so popular, and why they matter far less now
    • What AI memory changes about the way you brief it
    • The old search habit that quietly works against you
    • A better way to give AI the background it needs
    • How to get AI to question your idea, not just your draft
    • 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.

    Find out more about Inventium AI’s training programs at inventium.ai

    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.
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    13 min
  • REPLAY: Feel like you’re always behind? Chris Guillebeau has a fix for your time anxiety (Part 1)

    REPLAY: Feel like you’re always behind? Chris Guillebeau has a fix for your time anxiety (Part 1)
    21 Oct 2026

    **REPLAY**

    Do you ever get the sense that no matter how much you do, you’re still running out of time? Like there’s something you should be doing, but you can’t quite figure out what it is?

    In this episode of How I Work, we sit down with New York Times bestselling author Chris Guillebeau to talk about a feeling so many of us carry but rarely name: time anxiety. From guilt over unread emails to the pressure to leave a legacy, Chris shares the practical strategies that helped him stop chasing time - and start living with more calm and clarity.

    ** Free your team from time-consuming procurement tasks. Discover smart business buying, where unmatched selection meets AI-driven tools to simplify complex processes so you can focus on what matters most. Learn more at Amazon.com.au/howiwork **

    In this episode:

    • What time anxiety is—and why so many of us feel it without even realising
    • How Chris let go of the pressure to leave a legacy
    • A weekly “time decluttering” ritual that can clear your calendar
    • Why “just prioritise better” is the worst advice
    • The bold email strategy Chris swears by (even if it ruffles a few feathers)
    • Why leaving 10–15 minutes of buffer time between commitments can change everything

    Key Quotes:
    “You have to decide for yourself what is enough.”

    “It’s not about being an email ninja - it’s about understanding what matters.”

    Connect with Chris on Instagram, X (Twitter), and LinkedIn and his website, Listen to his podcast Side Hustle School, and check out his latest book Time Anxiety.

    More from How I Work

    If drawing clearer lines between work and the rest of your life is something you want to go deeper on, I have put together a Spotify playlist of my favourite How I Work episodes on exactly that. Listen to the playlist 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.
    Show more Show less
    25 min
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