How to Get Things Done, Stay Focused, and Be More Productive

The Mel Robbins Podcast

SiriusXM Podcasts

Education, Mental Health, Relationships, Self-improvement, Society & Culture, Health & Fitness

4.8 • 10.6K Ratings

🗓️ 4 September 2025

⏱️ 77 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In today’s episode, you’ll learn how to gain control of your time, improve productivity, and get motivated (even when you don’t feel like it). By the time you finish listening, you’ll understand how to get things done, the surprising science of focus, and simple tricks to never procrastinate again. Joining Mel today is the #1 productivity expert and Georgetown professor Dr. Cal Newport. He is here to tell you: If you’re feeling unmotivated, burnt out, and tired of wasting time, there’s another way to live. Today he shares simple tricks, tactics, and strategies that help you get things done despite all the noise. He is bringing the simple daily shifts you need to make life feel easier and to make you more focused and productive. In this episode, you will learn: -The surprising reason you can’t get anything done -The simple daily ritual that creates instant focus -How to organize your calendar (and your day) to be more productive -Why you feel unmotivated and how to instantly flip the switch -How to get your brain to focus, whenever you want to There’s an entirely different way to take control of your time. This episode will teach it to you. For more resources, click here for the podcast episode page. If you liked the episode, check out this one next: How to Stop Screwing Yourself Over. Connect with Mel: Get Mel’s #1 bestselling book, The Let Them Theory Watch the episodes on YouTube Follow Mel on Instagram The Mel Robbins Podcast Instagram Mel's TikTok Sign up for Mel’s personal letter Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes ad-free Disclaimer

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey, it's your friend Mel, and welcome to the Mel Robbins podcast.
0:08.7	Let me guess. You can't focus. Your to-do list? Endless. You don't even know where to begin. You feel unmotivated, burnt out, unproductive, tired.
0:20.6	Lately, I've noticed everywhere I go. Everyone is bringing up this
0:24.9	subject of how I'm so tired. I'm so stressed out. I don't even know how it got this bad.
0:30.6	And then you feel guilty, right? You feel guilty that, oh my gosh, I'm wasting time. I
0:35.0	didn't get enough done. I need to do this thing. I need to do that
0:37.9	thing. Well, here's what you need to know. You can do something about it because today I'm handing
0:43.4	you the answer to the overwhelm you feel and his name is Dr. Cal Newport. He is a Georgetown
0:49.9	University professor, a multiple New York Times best-selling author, and the leading expert on
0:56.5	how to take back your time. Now, he doesn't just talk about focus. The man lives it. Cal has spent
1:03.6	years rethinking time management from the inside out, how to work better, how to live better,
1:08.9	how to live a more meaningful life. And today, he's
1:12.1	here for you. And what he has to share about productivity, not what you're thinking. This is not a
1:17.9	conversation about hustling or doing more or doing the best or being perfect. Cal is here to show
1:24.3	you exactly what's been stealing your time, hijacking your attention, causing you to procrastinate, and robbing you of the peace you deserve.
1:32.3	And more importantly, he's going to show you how to fix it.
1:35.4	So class is in session, and right on schedule, Cal Newport is here to help.
1:51.3	Thank you. Newport is here to help. Hey, it's your friend Mel, and welcome to the Mel Robbins podcast. I am so excited that
1:57.5	you're here. I mean, it's always such an honor to spend time with you and to be together, but today, today, you and I are getting to meet and learn from a person whose work I have admired
2:08.3	for eight years. It is taking me a year and a half to get him to come to Boston and spend time
2:15.4	with us because he is in such demand, and he's also in control
2:18.7	of his time. So he has a very clear yes and a maybe and a no, and we got a yes today. And that
	...

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