Do you ever wish you could be more charming? Most of us do. Not only is being charming and charismatic helpful in the business world, it’s pretty much applicable to any and all social situations. Jordan Harbinger knows this fact well, which is perhaps why his podcast, The Art of Charm, currently has 3.9 million listeners. He co-founded the Art of Charm website as well, which is now known as one of the leading self-development programs in the world, with a special expertise in social capital, relationship-building, and authentic rapport.

 

Jordan is an entrepreneur, talk show host, and world-renowned social dynamics expert who launched The Art of Charm podcast to interview leading entrepreneurs, celebrities, authors, and experts on success, psychology, behavioral economics, and human performance. Forbes called Jordan one of the 50 best relationship-builders in the world, and Inc. Magazine recently named him “the Charlie Rose of Podcasting.”

 

Here, Jordan interviews Scott Adams, the creator of the comic series “Dilbert”:

 

 

Read on to find out top productivity tips from Jordan, and find out what classic book changed his life for the better.

 

What does the first 90 minutes of your day look like?

 

I take a Chinese lesson on Skype to warm up my brain and then warm up my voice.

 

What’s your number one productivity/time-saving tip?

 

Schedule your days out in advance. You should spend ZERO time each day “deciding what to do next” or reacting. Your entire day should be planned in advance whenever possible.

 

Any favorite productivity tools?

 

My calendar. Sounds simple and  not sexy but 95% of people reading this don’t use it effectively, if they use it at all.

 

How often do you check your inbox?

 

Every few hours, but that doesn’t mean I reply to anything. This is only time I use to triage emails.

 

#1 Email tip?

 

Flag important things for later, mark the rest as ‘read’ and get to them once every 4-6 weeks.

 

What’s the biggest hindrance to your productivity? How do you combat it?

 

My biggest hindrance is other people who can’t manage their own time effectively and I have to put out their fires. I make sure to put barricades between me and those people and I weed them out of my organization as much as possible.

 

When you lose focus, what do you do to regain it?

 

I cut out distraction by making myself unreachable. I may also go for a walk to reset, and make sure people can’t find me and barge into my cognitive space.

 

What bad advice do you hear often?

 

“Follow your passion.” This is absolutely terrible advice.

 

What book has changed your life and why?

 

How To Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie. He shows what motivates people and how to make yourself happier by working in conjunction with people’s motivations.

 

The most worthwhile investment in time, money, or energy that you’ve made?

 

I was an exchange student in high school. I had to restart my entire life in a different culture and language. Now I know I can literally do anything.

 

What’s your definition of productivity?

 

Productivity is when I make sure that things I decide to get done are done, and things I decide are unimportant stay that way, and aren’t forced into my agenda by someone else.

 

 

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Our Productivity Giants series highlights tech leaders shaking up things in their industries. If you enjoyed Jordan’s feature, check out other similar articles in this series:

• Nir Eyal, author of Hooked
• James Clear, Author and Entrepreneur at JamesClear.com