When everyone’s busy but the important work isn’t happening
Your people aren’t short of time. They’re short of attention. Inboxes that never empty, meetings that eat the day, and priorities that shift before anyone can act on them. The result is a team that works hard and still ends the week wondering where it went.
This productivity keynote takes a different approach. Built on the 9 Characteristics of the Productivity Ninja® from Graham Allcott’s bestselling business book How to be a Productivity Ninja, it reshapes what working well actually looks like: fewer things done properly, attention protected, and energy left over at the end of the day.
It’s not about doing more. It’s about making space for the work that matters.
We recommend:
In-person or online
2hrs
Unlimited
What you’ll learn & do
Your people will walk away with:
- A new perspective on the roles of attention vs. time
- Practical ways to reduce overwhelm and restore focus
- Simple tools to create space for detailed, high-value work
- Ideas for using AI to work smarter, focus better, and make tech your ally
- A clear action plan they can start immediately
94%
of participants would recommend our workshops
This keynote is for you if:
- You’re planning a team away day, all-hands or conference and want a session that genuinely energises and leaves people with something practical to take away
- You’re an HR or L&D lead looking for a high-impact, low-logistics way to reach a large group at once, with no cap on group size
- Your people are burnt out, distracted and struggling to prioritise, and you need something that shifts mindset as well as habits
- You want to introduce the Productivity Ninja approach across your organisation before rolling out deeper workshops or programmes
What this workshop offers
- A format that flexes. From 60 minutes to 3 hours, in person or online.
- No cap on numbers. One session can reach your whole organisation.
- Action, not just inspiration. Every attendee leaves with their own action plan.
- Learning that lasts. Includes an eCopy of How to be a Productivity Ninja, tools and handouts, and Productivity Ninja® Academy access.
- Built to stick. Add an Impact Clinic 1 and 3 months later to keep new habits alive.
What you’ll do
This isn’t a talk your team sits through, it’s a session they take part in. Over one to three hours, our expert speaker walks your people through the nine characteristics of a Productivity Ninja, mixing storytelling and behavioural science with discussion about how the ideas apply to their real working week.
Along the way, they’ll examine the habits that drain attention without anyone noticing, from inbox behaviour to how they handle interruptions, and pick up simple tools to change them, including ways to make AI an ally for focus rather than another source of noise. There is action planning throughout, so everyone leaves with tangible next steps they’ll make as soon as they’re back at their desk, not just ideas they liked.
What happens when attention management works
When attention management works, everything changes:
- Email and interruptions stop running the day, people do
- Competing priorities get navigated with confidence, not constant firefighting
- Space opens up for deep work and better thinking
- Wellbeing and output rise together, instead of trading off against each other
Environment Agency
“A genuinely refreshing session that brings clarity and energy to the journey we all experience at different stages in our work-week.”
Shaun Lewis
Benefits & Results
The most immediate benefit is practical: everyone leaves with their own action plan and the tools to follow it, from managing email overload to protecting space for deep work. But the bigger shift is in mindset. Once people understand that attention, not time, is the resource worth protecting, they make better decisions about their day without needing anyone to police it.
And because every participant receives an eCopy of How to be a Productivity Ninja plus access to the Productivity Ninja® Academy, the learning carries on well past the session itself.
What your organisation gets
One session, no cap on numbers, and a shared language for how your organisation works. When a whole team knows what Ruthlessness or Zen-like Calm means in practice, conversations about workload and priorities get easier, and the habits stick because everyone around you is building them too. Many organisations use the keynote as the starting point for deeper workshops and programmes; others find one session is enough to shift how a team operates.
Oxford Uni Press
“I left with simple tools to improve focus, reduce distractions, and plan my day more intentionally. Easy to follow, engaging, and genuinely helpful.”
Elaine Birch
Why it matters
The real productivity crisis isn’t a lack of time, it’s a lack of focus. Teams keep trying to solve an attention problem with time management tools, and wonder why nothing sticks.
- Email overload and constant interruptions leave people reactive instead of intentional
- Competing, ever-changing priorities make it hard to know what actually deserves attention
- Deep work and clear thinking get squeezed out entirely, until burnout looks like the only way to cope
Frequently Asked Questions
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Yes. We offer versions from 60 minutes to 3 hours, depending on your schedule and goals.
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Absolutely, it’s designed for everyone from senior leaders to new starters. Every attendee creates their own action plan.
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We can run the keynote virtually or on-site, depending on what suits your team best.
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For in-person: a screen/projector and seating. For virtual: just access to your video platform of choice (Zoom, Teams, etc.).
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Graham is available to book for certain sessions. However, he is just one of our family of prolific Productivity Ninja® keynote speakers, all of whom deliver excellence in every session.
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Yes. We show how AI tools inside everyday platforms can support focus, organisation and attention management. The session highlights simple ways to use AI without becoming dependent on it or adding extra noise to your workflow.