Inside the Work Life of Renat Shagabutdinov: Assistant to the CEO at MIF Publishing
Discover how Renat Shagabutdinov balances remote work, running, and book selection at MIF Publishing. Learn his productivity hacks and how he integrates travel and sport into his busy schedule.
In a revealing interview, Renat Shagabutdinov, assistant to the CEO of MIF Publishing, shares insights about his passion for books, running, and the dynamics of remote work. Surprisingly, he manages to handle 80% of his work tasks using just a tablet, proving that frequent travel doesn't require living from one vacation to the next.
About Renat Shagabutdinov
Renat serves as the assistant to the CEO at MIF Publishing. He is also a business trainer, consultant, and tutor specializing in Excel and Google Sheets. A member of Igor Mann's "Speakers Bureau," Renat co-authored the book "Daily Business Hacks." He holds degrees in Mathematical Economics and Marketing from prestigious Russian universities.
What Does Renat Do at Work?
His primary role is at MIF Publishing, where his responsibilities include:
- Curating and selecting books;
- Conducting analytics and automating processes;
- Preparing financial and management reports;
- Managing projects with Russian authors;
- Occasionally leading training sessions and offering consultations on spreadsheets, formulas, and data analysis;
- Crafting cover texts for adult books.
Renat oversees the sports literature portfolio. He reads every sports book in full before selection and applies practical insights from these books in his own life. He shares them with friends, coaches, and experts, ensuring top quality in MIF’s sports publications.
He has personally translated two sports books, a task he finds challenging to balance with his main duties but highly rewarding.
What Does His Workspace Look Like?
Like most MIF employees, Renat works remotely. His setup is straightforward: a laptop, paper and pen for notes, and work-related documents and books.
He uses paper notes during meetings but transfers everything to Evernote afterward, where meeting minutes from years past are stored for easy reference.
His home office includes a personal library, with a mix of paper books and digital reading materials on his tablet. He reads extensively on running, business, and personal development in both Russian and English.
Renat always carries his laptop and an iPad mini with cellular connectivity. Around 40% of the text for his latest book on sports and health was written on his tablet while traveling by plane, train, or bus.
The tablet suffices for most tasks such as reviewing manuscripts, preparing texts, and managing emails, while the laptop is essential for working with spreadsheets and analytics.
His laptop desktop is organized with just a few folders:
- Work (MIF);
- Speakers Bureau (training);
- Consultations (individual sessions);
- Books (own projects and PDFs to read);
- Website (materials for personal blog articles);
- Miscellaneous documents.
On his phone, Renat keeps only essential apps:
- Skype;
- Yandex Transport, Suburban Trains, and Navigator;
- Garmin Connect (for uploading workout data from his watch);
- Wallet for travel payments;
- Facebook Messenger*;
- Native web browser.
He rarely uses Kindle on his phone, preferring his tablet and laptop for reading.
The tablet also hosts a minimal set of programs necessary for his workflow.
About 80% of his tablet time is spent on email, browsing, iBooks, Word, and note-taking.
He disables notifications on all devices except calls, SMS, and calendar reminders, a habit he recommends to colleagues for better focus and productivity.
How Does He Manage His Time?
Renat plans all activities, including personal and training sessions, in Google Calendar. His colleagues can see when he is available, working remotely, or busy.
He tracks tasks in Maxdone and prints meeting minutes, marking off quick tasks directly on paper and entering others into his calendar or task manager, saving time.
He schedules the most demanding analytical work for the morning when his mind is sharpest, leaving simpler tasks like emails and workouts for later.
What Are His Hobbies?
Renat believes that you don’t need a vacation to attend sports events or explore new places. He enjoys traveling wherever he can, combining his love for running with work.
He has worked remotely from cities like Lille (Euro 2016), Budapest (triathlon), Rome (marathon), and many others, including his hometown Saratov and international destinations.
Vacations are reserved for longer trips and major competitions such as the Comrades Marathon in South Africa, Ironman in Nice, and races in the USA, but even then, he stays connected with work.
Running has taken him to places he might never have visited otherwise, such as Carlsbad in California, Durban in South Africa, Kolomna, and Dubna.
The Role of Sports in His Life
Though he didn’t engage in sports seriously during school and university, regular running became a key part of his routine in later years, helping him manage a demanding schedule of work, education, and teaching.
He ran a 10K Nike race in 2012 for fun, completing it in 40 minutes, then finished his first marathon in Riga in 2013 in 3 hours and 50 minutes, which sparked his passion.
Currently, he runs at an amateur level, with notable results including:
- Comrades Marathon — 90 km in 6 hours 51 minutes;
- Marathon — 2 hours 43 minutes;
- Half marathon — 1 hour 13 minutes;
- 10 kilometers — 33 minutes 41 seconds;
- 5 kilometers — 16 minutes 13 seconds.
What’s in His Bag?
Renat always packs running gear for any trip, no matter the season, training daily regardless of his schedule. He uses Strava Heatmap to find running routes and relies on his Garmin Forerunner 735XT watch to track routes on the go.
He travels light with a carry-on suitcase and a backpack for his laptop, tablet, and books. His current favorite backpack is from Tumi.
Productivity Tips from Renat Shagabutdinov
When reading nonfiction or business books, Renat highlights key ideas with sticky notes and creates mind maps for especially valuable books. He shares his reading reflections on his blog to encourage deeper analysis and discussion.
Some of his favorite books include:
- "Yuri Gagarin" by Lev Danilkin — considered the best biography of the cosmonaut;
- "The History of Western Philosophy" by Bertrand Russell — an insightful and engaging exploration of philosophical ideas;
- "Running with Lydiard" by Garth Gilmour and Arthur Lydiard — a classic that inspired Renat’s transition from casual jogging to passionate running;
- "The Gay Science" by Friedrich Nietzsche;
- "The Economy of Symbolic Exchange" by Alexander Dolgin;
- "I’m Here to Win" by Chris McCormack and Tim VanHeke — which introduced him to Ironman and motivated him to participate;
- "Marketing 100% Remix" by Igor Mann;
- "The Economic Way of Thinking" by Paul Heyne.
He also admires works by Nassim Taleb and Matt Fitzgerald on running.
For productivity, he credits "Time-Drive: How to Manage Life and Work" by Gleb Arkhangelsky during his student years and currently recommends "Jedi Techniques" by Maxim Dorofeev and "My Year of Productivity," translated by colleagues at Alpina Publishing.
Advice for Lifehackers
To boost your productivity, Renat suggests:
- Recognize that true productive focus lasts only a few hours daily; identify your peak time and schedule critical tasks then.
- Turn off all non-essential notifications; create a list of priority contacts and use "Do Not Disturb" during focused work and at night.
- Use tools like StayFocusd to limit time on distracting websites, keeping leisure browsing to about 15 minutes daily.
- Avoid spending emotional energy on news.
- Create checklists for routine processes to avoid forgetting important steps.
- Consolidate your schedule and task management into simple, unified systems.
- Use travel time efficiently by loading work materials onto your phone or tablet.
- Take detailed notes or create mind maps for books you read to retain insights.
- Engage in 3-4 aerobic workouts weekly at a conversational pace to improve energy, sleep quality, and overall well-being.
- Incorporate 15-30 minute naps when possible to double your effective work output.
*Note: Meta Platforms Inc. services such as Facebook and Instagram are restricted in Russia.
Discover the latest news and current events in Career Opportunities and Education Jobs as of 10-04-2022. The article titled " Inside the Work Life of Renat Shagabutdinov: Assistant to the CEO at MIF Publishing " provides you with the most relevant and reliable information in the Career Opportunities and Education Jobs field. Each news piece is thoroughly analyzed to deliver valuable insights to our readers.
The information in " Inside the Work Life of Renat Shagabutdinov: Assistant to the CEO at MIF Publishing " helps you make better-informed decisions within the Career Opportunities and Education Jobs category. Our news articles are continuously updated and adhere to journalistic standards.