We live in a day and age where it’s never been easier to develop new skills, be more efficient with your time and become your personal best. And while this is true, daily distractions make it harder to focus on learning new skills and giving your full attention to the present moment. In this episode, Keith and guest host Tim give you tips and hacks on how you can take advantage of technology to improve yourself without allowing it to siphon away your precious time or erode your skills.

Tim’s Reference:   Minimialism: A Documentary About the Important Things is a film by Joshua Fields Milburn and Ryan Nicodemus and be viewed on Netflix. In the film, Milburn and Nicodemus demonstrate how we can live meaningful lives with less stuff and the baggage that comes with having stuff.

Fiverr is an online marketplace offering tasks and services to companies and entrepreneurs, beginning at a cost of $5 per job performed.

Keith’s References: Brian Johnson, see https://www.optimize.me, is modern day philosopher and teacher who distills the best ideas from philosophers, teachers and authors to help listeners optimize their lives.

Tara Brach, see www.tarabrach.com American psychologist and proponent of Buddhist meditation. She is a guiding teacher and founder of the Insight Meditation Community of Washington, D.C. (IMCW). Dr. Brach teaches their Wednesday night meeting in Bethesda, Maryland. Her colleagues include Jack Kornfield, Sharon Salzberg, Joseph Goldstein and others in the Vipassana or Insight meditation tradition. Brach also teaches about Buddhist meditation at centers for meditation and yoga in the United States and Europe including Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Woodacre, California, the Kripalu Center,  and the Omega Institute for Holistic Studies.

Wayne Dyer, see www.waynedyer.com. Dyer told readers to pursue self-actualization, calling reliance on the self a guide to “religious” experience. Dyer criticized societal focus on guilt, which he saw as an unhealthy immobilization in the present due to actions taken in the past. He encouraged readers to see how parents, institutions, and even they, themselves, had imposed guilt trips upon themselves. Although Dyer initially resisted the spiritual tag, by the 1990s he had altered his message to include more components of spirituality when he wrote the book Real Magic and discussed higher consciousness in the book Your Sacred Self. He passed away at age 75.

Tony Robbins is one of the most popular and recognizable self-help coaches in the world. He grew up very poor. His stepfather, who was working as a salesman, struggled to take care of the family and often couldn’t even afford to celebrate Thanksgiving or Christmas.

When Robbins was a teenager, his mom wanted him to be a truck driver because he would make twice what his father made, but he ultimately decided to follow his passion instead of chasing the money. He decided that he wanted to grow up helping people in need. A wise decision, since he is now said to be worth half a billion dollars.

He has authored several best-selling books including, Money: Master the Game and Awaken the Giant Within (his best book, in my opinion) and has coached some of the most successful people in the world including Oprah, Andre Agassi, Leonardo DiCaprio and Bill Clinton to name a few. While his coaching style and teaching techniques are controversial, he remains one of the most popular personalities in the world. www.tonyrobbins.com

Leslie Calvin “Les” Brown, www.lesbrown.com, is an American motivational speaker, author, radio DJ, former television host, and former politician. As a politician, he is a former member of the Ohio House of Representatives. Brown has inspired fortune 500 companies and thousands of people worldwide to aim high, achieve and actively make an impact on the world.

Robin Sharma, www.robinsharma.com, is a writer and leadership speaker, best known for his The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari series. Sharma is also the founder of Sharma Leadership International (SLI), a global consultancy with a single focus: to help organizations develop employees to Lead Without a Title.

Cal Newport, www.calnewport.com, is an associate professor in the depart of computer science at Georgetown University and the author of five how-to-books and a blog focused on academic and career success. In his book, Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World, Newport teaches how to eliminate distractions so you can focus on your most important tasks and produce better results.

lynda.com, is an American online education company offering thousands of video courses in software, creative, and business skills. Founded in 1995, the company produces video tutorials taught by industry experts.