Charlie Gilkey Talks About Finishing What Matters

Over the years, I've had plenty of insightful conversations on this podcast, and one that still stands out is my discussion with Charlie Gilkey about his book Start Finishing. This Flashback Friday episode brings that conversation back, but with a twist—we start with an update from Charlie on what he's been up to since then.

Charlie is someone who has spent years helping people make meaningful progress, and since our last chat, he's been busy launching Momentum, an app designed to reduce productivity friction, and shifting his Productive Flourishing platform over to Substack. In this episode, we pick up where we left off, exploring what’s changed in the way he approaches work, productivity, and team habits.

Key Discussion Points

• What’s new with Charlie since Start Finishing—from launching an app to shifting his content to Substack.
• How Momentum helps people with chunking and sequencing work without unnecessary friction.
• Why project management in teams requires a different approach than solo work.
• The evolution from Start Finishing to Team Habits—and why team productivity is a whole new challenge.
• The struggle of balancing efficiency with real productivity, especially in hybrid work environments.
• Why mastery comes from finishing projects, not just starting them.
• How leaders need to redefine productivity outputs before demanding return-to-office mandates.

Charlie and I have been in this space for a long time, and it’s always refreshing to catch up and exchange ideas. Whether you're new to his work or have followed Productive Flourishing for years, this episode has plenty of takeaways on making progress that actually matters. (Originally released September 2019)

Links Worth Exploring

• Connect With Charlie/Productive Flourishing: Website | YouTube  | LinkedIn
• The Book We Discussed This Time: Team Habits: How Small Actions Lead to Extraordinary Results
• The Book We Discussed Last Time: Start Finishing: How to Go from Idea to Done
• Another Productive Conversation With Charlie: Watch On My YouTube Channel
• Related Conversation: Episode 127: A Focus on Flourishing with Charlie Gilkey
• Related Blog Post: How To Find Your Way Forward (And Finish)

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