Discover Donna McGeorge’s secret hacks to achieve more, stress less and take control of your workday in this recap from our latest Verve masterclass
Earp Distilling Co.
We all want to be more productive. But we can’t keep pushing. Instead, we need to make better choices, remove clutter and create space for what matters. In our latest masterclass run by Donna McGeorge, we learned her concepts for success.
With charisma as bright as her orange suit, Donna – an international author, trainer and speaker who has inspired teams at Microsoft, NAB, Jetstar and Medibank – set the tone for the morning from the moment she stepped up.
She opened with two simple but powerful questions:
“How can we make the best use of the time we have available at work?”
“And how can we create the space and capacity for the most important things in our lives?”
These questions cut straight to the heart of the morning’s theme: Master your workday: achieve more, stress less. And from there, Donna took us on a journey packed with practical tips, relatable stories and moments that had us all nodding in recognition.
The event took place at Earp Distilling Co. in Carrington, and what a space for it!
We love its industrial warehouse vibes (brickwork, exposed pipework and ceilings, old brewing barrels), softened by flower motifs, hanging baskets and a mix of glass, festoon and metalwork lighting.
Attendees arrived to barrista coffee and lively conversation, before taking a seat on the long white tables where they were welcomed by fresh pastries and fruit, and some very ‘on brand’ pineapple lolly favours!
Don’t get the pineapple reference? It’s in our values – learn more!
To tackle those big questions, Donna got real about something we all know too well.
Most of us are stuck in overwhelm. We’re always ‘busy’, yet somehow falling short of our true potential. Decision fatigue kicks in, and we’re pulled in every direction, juggling demands from work and home alike.
So what do we do? We try harder, stay later, grip tighter. But that usually leads straight to burnout. And then, to cope, we either self-medicate (hello, evening glass of wine or beer) or end up sick, forced to take time off.
The hard truth is that work isn’t going anywhere. It’s relentless. But there are smarter ways to take back control and carve out space in our day. It all starts with better choices.
That’s where Donna’s six levers come in, ready to help us do exactly that.
Here’s a quick rundown of these six concepts Donna shared:
When problems pop up, our instinct is to add more. More budget, more people, more meetings. Donna flipped that on its head: try strategic subtraction.
Picture a wall with a single red brick that doesn’t quite fit. The answer isn’t to pile on more bricks. It’s to remove the one that’s causing the issue. In practice, that might mean scrapping an unnecessary process, cancelling a meeting that serves no purpose, or simply saying ‘no’ without over-explaining.
This one’s all about taking care of your body and mind. Donna broke it down into three simple habits:
We can’t always run at full capacity. Donna recommended building a 15% buffer into your day – roughly an hour free from meetings, emails and work tasks. Use this time to think, daydream, plan, and come up with fresh ideas. Make it happen by sticking it in the diary as a purple block.
Our brains are made to generate ideas, not store them. Trying to hold everything in your head leads to overwhelm, forgetfulness and lost clarity. Donna’s advice was to offload the mental clutter.
Write down everything on your mind, morning and evening, from tasks to random thoughts. This frees up mental space so your brain can focus on what truly matters. Pair it with deliberate ‘fun bubbles’ in your day – moments for things you love doing – and keep your physical environment organised to support clarity and focus.
Meetings are a part of work life. But most of us spend way too much time in them, often for little value. Donna highlighted that many meetings run an hour by default, include too many people, and eat into both time and budget.
The solution is to trim the fat. Keep meetings short (around 25 minutes), invite only the essential participants, and be clear about the purpose and outcome. This frees up time for deep work, creativity and the tasks that really move the needle.
Our bodies have natural rhythms, and we’re most productive when we work in tune with them. Donna pointed out that mornings are often peak performance hours, while afternoons can leave us feeling sluggish.
So plan your day around your body clock: tackle your most important work in the first two hours, then schedule meetings, a power nap and routine tasks later. Aligning with your natural energy levels helps you get more done without burning out.
The masterclass ended with some punchy Q&As, the usual thank-yous, and a quick name out of the hat, sending five lucky attendees away with champagne or one of Donna’s best-selling books.
The key takeaway from the morning: When it comes to mastering your workday, you don’t have to do everything at once. Start with just one lever – one that you can realistically tackle – and make that change until it becomes a habit.
A big thanks to Donna for such an inspiring morning, to Clare, our CEO, for an equally vibrant introduction, Earps for their amazing hospitality, our fabulous marketing manager, Jodi and Emma our office coordinator, for making this event happen, and everyone who came along!
If you want to learn more from Donna, you can follow her on socials or visit her website: donnamcgeorge.com. And if you love learning, keep an eye out for our next Verve Partners’ Masterclass!
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