Whether you’re a true crime fan, comic book nerd, entrepreneur, tech enthusiast, parent, or athlete, there is most likely a podcast that is specifically tailored to your unique interests. For those in the business world, there are many podcasts focused on different aspects of your daily life, from creating your business plan to executing your vision.
Podcasts can also tackle something that may be top of mind for many business people: productivity. There are many great podcasts devoted to teaching you how to find meaning in your work, increase your workplace productivity, and beat the dreaded procrastination bug.
Let’s dive into some of the best productivity podcasts, and how they can help you meet your goals.
1. The Tim Ferriss Show
The Tim Ferriss Show is the number one business podcast on Apple podcasts. The host, Tim Ferriss, is an American entrepreneur and investor, and in addition to giving his own advice, he also interviews top performers in various markets like business, sports, art, and more. These interviews will leave listeners with tips, advice, and routines they can implement into their lives to become more productive.
Listen to the Tim Ferriss Show.
2. The 5 AM Miracle
In case the name didn’t give it away: The 5 AM Miracle is a time management podcast that is all about how to create habits that will make you productive in the morning. On the podcast’s website, host Jeff Sanders writes that his goal is to help listeners “dominate [their] day before breakfast.” He teaches listeners how to create life-long habits that will make them wake up more productive and energetic, including everything from drinking smoothies to task batching.
3. Hurry Slowly
You know the fable about the tortoise and the hare? The same philosophy of winning in the end through patience and hard work is found in Jocelyn K. Glei’s Hurry Slowly podcast. Hurry Slowly is all about how to pace yourself, do good work, and find joy and meaning in your day-to-day life. Through her own introspection and interviews with guests, she breaks down how to find meaning in the work you do, whether you have a side hustle or work a traditional 9 to 5.
4. The Marie Forleo Podcast
Marie Forleo is so influential that Oprah even named her a thought leader for the next generation. The Marie Forleo podcast is both a personal growth and productivity podcast that aims to help people increase their productivity by becoming the best version of themselves. Her advice spans concepts like finding your voice, coming up with a business idea, and problem-solving.
Listen to the Marie Forleo Podcast.
5. The Rough Draft
Here at Rev, we’re all about helping you do your work more efficiently. Our podcast, the Rough Draft, aims to help you accomplish your professional and personal goals by interviewing business professionals to learn more about their processes, careers, and the tools they need. We like to think it’s one of the best productivity podcasts out there!
6. The Productivity Show
The simple, to-the-point name encapsulates what The Productivity Show is all about: how you can achieve more without over-exerting yourself. Hosts Thanh Pham and Brooks Duncan focus on ways to meet your goals, streamline your work, and increase your output while maintaining your health, relationships, and sanity.
Listen to the Productivity Show.
7. The Action Catalyst
Stephanie Maas and Adam Outland, hosts of The Action Catalyst, aim to, as it says on their website, “defeat mediocrity.” This means transforming its listeners into the best version of themselves, helping them overcome setbacks, teaching them time management skills, and more. The best part? You can get helpful life advice in bite-sized chunks, since episodes are typically 15-30 minutes.
Listen to the Action Catalyst.
8. Productivity Masterminds
Productivity Masterminds provides interviews with business professionals and productivity experts to learn their top tips for success. Host Juan Felipe Campos provides interviews that are short (think 10-20 minutes), and cover topics like task delegation, how to prioritize, and compounding daily habits. This easily digestible format helps to make this an accessible productivity podcast for even the most on-the-go professional.
Listen to Productivity Masterminds.
9. How I Built This
Have you ever wondered how some of your favorite brands got their start? That’s the premise behind the How I Built This podcast. Host Guy Raz interviews the leaders of brands making waves. These interviews focus on the way the brands were built, but also the ways that the founders spent their time and worked to become productive.
10. Before Breakfast
Just like a cup of coffee or a bowl of cereal, Before Breakfast is a short podcast that you can work into your morning routine. It’s a daily show, so you can make it an impactful part of your routine without having to wait a few days for a new episode. The episodes are also short and sweet, and host Laura Vanderkam covers business and life topics, including how to be more productive and clear-headed at work.
11. Beyond the To-Do List
Host Erik Fisher curates interviews with thought leaders, authors, businesspeople, and creatives to determine not only how to be more productive, but how to shape your life. The philosophy of the podcast is that you should implement productivity strategies into both your professional and personal life, to become a more well-rounded person “beyond your to-do list.”
Listen to Beyond the To-Do List.
12. Kwik Brain
According to Jim Kwik, the creator and host of Kwik Brain, the greatest wealth-building asset you have is your brain. So the Kwik Brain podcast is devoted to training your brain to be sharper, quicker, and more focused. The podcast includes exercises to sharpen these skills and also provides tips on how to become more productive.
13. Huberman Lab
Dr. Andrew Huberman is a neuroscientist, meaning he provides scientific data and explanations for how our brains work to back up his points. Often ranked as one of the best podcasts in the world, Huberman Lab covers many aspects of life, from sleep and fitness to motivation. The topics he discusses on the show can help people looking to be more productive understand why they might be struggling and the steps they can take to correct it.
14. Supermanagers
You can learn a lot from business leaders, even if they aren’t necessarily in the same vertical that you are. Supermanagers host Aydin Mirzaee compiles interviews with top executives from various industries to learn what’s made them productive. Since these interviews focus on people with different backgrounds, skill-sets, and positions, Supermanagers is a valuable way to learn more about productivity throughout all of business.
Do Podcasts Increase Productivity?
Obviously a podcast isn’t going to run your errands, write your proposal, or submit your draft by the deadline, but the best productivity podcasts can improve productivity by helping you learn life-changing habits and giving you something to listen to while you work.
Most people listen to podcasts on Spotify, and they do so while they do household chores or commute to and from work. However, 15% of people keep the listening going while they are actively working. Listening to podcasts while performing other tasks can help you turn empty time (for example, sitting in traffic on the way to the office) into productive time learning about personal growth.
Not an Auditory Learner? Try Podcast Transcription!
Not everyone can keep their focus on a podcast. Without something to look at, it can be hard to absorb everything being said, especially if you’re listening while cleaning, working out, etc. For those who prefer visual learning to audio, you can still learn the important lessons imparted in these podcasts by making use of podcast transcriptions.
Podcast transcriptions, like those offered by Rev, convert audio into written word (we even provide this service to the leading podcast platform, Spotify!) This can allow you to read the latest episode of your favorite podcast like a blog post or article instead of listening, which means you can get the same productivity lessons as those who prefer to listen.
Press Play on Productivity
There are over 5 million podcasts online currently. So whatever your niche, there is most likely something out there for you to listen to. And in the business world, there are plenty of podcasts covering many different business-centric topics, including how to become more productive and happier in your work.
If you prefer to read your podcasts (or if you’re a podcaster looking to make it easier on your audience by transcribing the podcast for them), Rev can help by providing accurate, fast transcriptions.
