This is an extra special episode of Stand Out, and one that none of our listeners will want to miss! Today we have the past Director of NAPO and organizing and productivity pioneer, Harold Taylor on the show, to share some of the wealth of wisdom he has accumulated after 45 years in the business! Harold is now in his 80s, but has not let this slow him down, and continues to work, publishing books and leading an extremely rich and exciting life. In our conversation, we get to cover the basics with Harold, talking about personal productivity and building a system that suits our unique needs, before we get into some of the more specialized areas in which our guest has worked. We talk about the many books he has written and published, the use of humor in his presentations, the evolution of distractions, and much more. As you will see, Harold has an amazing ability to synthesize and communicate ideas, so to catch it all from this generous and important member of our community, tune in!

Key Points From This Episode:

[00:03:32] The ever-present experiences Harold Taylor has dealt with throughout his career.
[00:06:26] How Harold has depicted disorganization in his presentations.
[00:08:48] Blocking out the necessary interruptions; taking responsibility for your own time!
[00:11:24] What actually happens when we allow ourselves to get distracted.
[00:13:19] The inclusion of humor in Harold's presentations, and the idea of high-risk speaking!
[00:15:02] The importance of focusing on a specific niche and area of your subject.
[00:19:29] Developing a system that suits your unique needs and habits.
[00:22:40] The range of work that Harold still does; seminars, writing, and more.
[00:24:45] What keeps Harold interested and motivated at this stage of his life and career!
[00:27:06] The different writing projects that led up to Harold publishing books.
[00:34:35] Harold's approach to new technologies and leveraging this power.
[00:39:51] The recent book that Harold wrote on the subject of how to develop character.
[00:40:45] Comments on the malleability of personality; how environment and attitude impact us.