Category: Being Productive

Coming In 2024…

Published on December 26, 2023

There are five things that I’m seriously considering pursuing in 2024.

A Poster Store. I have the words. I’ve been having a great time generating AI Art. I want to combine and share them in inspiring ways.
A Podcast. I’ve been toying with the idea for years. I have my questions and I know who I’d ask… it’s only a matter of doing it.
Video Courses. My digital guides are the syllabus’. Next I would turn them into self-paced courses that would provide significantly more guidance than a simple .pdf file.
Live Workshops. My vision is to keep them small. Five to ten people max. Everybody participates and works together to answer challenging, hard-to-face alone, inner work related questions.
More Digital Products. I have shipped two. I have ten more outlined that I want to produce for The Art of Forward Series. And I have a slew of other digital products that I want to create outside of that series. Including Kaizen templates to help guide daily action, the Ultimate Kindness/ Pay-It-Forward Party, and Poetry books.

I’m sharing this because I’m sure you, too, have a bunch that you want to do in 2024. My recommendation is don’t make it your goal to do it all. Start by writing and feeling them all out—yes.

But then, pick one thing to focus 100% of your energy on. None of it ever works out to be as easy as it seems in your mind. Try to do too much and you’ll fail at it all. Get an A+ in one and you’ll be well on your way to properly conquering them all.

Easy Swaps For Exponential Gains

Published on November 5, 2023

Imagine this: you take the most wasteful 20/30/60 minutes of your day and made them into some of your most productive 20/30/60 minutes instead.

By wasteful, I mean adding no value to your current or future state.

And by productive, I mean the opposite.

Which, isn’t to stress you out with the idea of needing to work / focus / do more.

It’s a strategy to help you do the opposite.

So, instead of 20/30/60 minutes of media scrolling… what if you swapped that for an easy 20/30/60 minutes of meditative reflecting?

Instead of 20/30/60 minutes of trying to refocus after preventable distractions… what if you swapped that for an easy 20/30/60 minutes of Do Not Disturb mode, over the ear headphones, and undisturbed work?

Instead of snoozing your morning alarm for 20/30/60 minutes each morning… what if you forced yourself up right away and went to bed 20/30/60 minutes earlier instead?

Heck, what if you swapped the 20/30/60 minutes of most unproductive work-time of your day and simply sat there in silence and meditated instead?

Small changes like this are what lead to exponential long-term results. Don’t get all grandiose and try to get all of the productivity squeezed from your days right now and all up front.

Be patient. Make small meaningful changes. And keep collecting dividends on that investment for years to come.

P.s. My guide on building self-improvement habits into your life—for life (minus the hustle)—can definitely help with this.

Skipping Thinking

Published on October 5, 2023

Thoughts that we try to remember end up throttling our brains—like a skipping record that’s stuck playing the same beat.

Here’s how I imagine it going down:

Average thought
Average thought
Average thought
Average thought
Average thought
GREAT IDEA
REMEMBER
REMEMBER
Aver—REMEMBER
Averag—REMEMBER
Avera—REMEMBER
Ave—REMEMBER
GRE—REMEMBER

Essentially all further thoughts get halted as our brains try and remember the one.

We need to write down/record the random thoughts/creative ideas we have so as to free up our minds for smooth, continued thinking.

The more we try to remember, the fewer total ideas we’ll have.

And the fewer ideas we have, the lower the chances we’ll come across (allow) our best ones.

P.s. I use the notes app on my phone for this. It’s simple and easy. Don’t complicate this. You just need an easily accessible place where you can brain dump on the fly.

Leashing Your Mind

Published on September 29, 2023

When I take my dog for a walk, I follow a premeditated path and she follows the pulls of the leash.

My dog without her leash is like my mind without focus—ready to wander, deviate, explore, circle, double back—all aimlessly—and in whichever direction the circumstances pull.

The leash I use with her is a tool that keeps her on track, just like my noise cancelling headphones, silent mode on my phone, and a block of uninterrupted time—are all tools that help keep my mind focused and following a premeditated train of thought.

Walk your (untrained) dog without a leash and good luck following any kind of premeditated path. Walk your dog on too tight of a leash and neither of you will have a very good time.

Somewhere in the middle—where there’s a modestly sized leash and a patient demeanor—lies an ideal experience for both dog and walker that covers the premeditated ground while also leaving space for mini-explorations and imaginative deviations along the way.

P.s. The Art of Forward: Consistency > Intensity drops TOMORROW! You guys will be the first to see. Thanks for your ongoing support and readership. I hope you love it :)

Complete Tasks Completely

Published on September 28, 2023

Some tasks build competence and some build character.

Clearly distinguishing which type of task you’re in helps tremendously in the doing of the task completely.

The problem I see too often is character building tasks are resented, rushed through, outsourced, automated, or just plain ignored. And competence building tasks are done half-assedly—with distractions galore, via accelerated means (2x playback speed), and in hopes of becoming a master minus the hours.

It’s a whole bunch of tasks being done minus the deliberate which equals… wasted time.

…When all that’s needed is a little extra attention to reap full benefits from (and this is the key) the things you’re already doing.

This is why it can feel like what you’re doing isn’t enough… because you’re not present enough; why you can feel unproductive even when you’re busy as ever… because you’re not fully doing any of your tasks; why you can feel stagnant even when you’re checking off all the items on your “supposed to-do lists…” because growth comes from the deliberate that’s missing when you’re hurrying.

The trick isn’t in the realigning of everything in your day… it’s in the realigning of the how you’re doing what you’re already doing in your day.

When you’re doing a character building task like washing dishes, folding laundry, cleaning up trash… be there. Don’t rush; do the work slowly. Don’t think about finishing; flex that self-discipline muscle and focus on correctly.

When you’re doing a competence building task like studying, training, or practicing… be there. Don’t try to expedite the process; take your time. Don’t hurry; do it deliberately. Try to truly absorb the material and flex that patience muscle.

Complete tasks completely.

Serious About Solitude

Published on September 21, 2023

“Without solitude, no great work is possible.”
Pablo Picasso

As I sit here and reflect on some of the great works of my life—it is undeniably true that solitude was present in each of them.

For every assignment I was proud of in school—solitude was present.
For every martial arts performance I still love to rewatch on YouTube—countless hours were spent in solitude training.
For every article I share with pride—including these short, daily pieces I email out daily—solitude happened.

And my guess is, if you’re having a hard time producing work that you feel is great—you’re probably also the type who’s having a hard time finding solitude in your day.

But, let it be known, if not from me then from Picasso himself—solitude is a necessary ingredient for great work.

And if you’re serious about wanting to produce great work, then get serious about prioritizing solitude into your days.

Be it by waking up earlier, eliminating excess screen time, deleting unnecessary tasks, rearranging the tasks of your day, or buying a pair of over-the-ear headphones that you can start wearing around the chronic distractions—be like Nike and just do it.

And for every excuse that follows and prevents you from building more solitude into your days, remember, it’s you who’s arguing against the great work potential of you.

…And what a shame to be the reason for your own withheld potential.

Detaching From Productivity

Published on August 21, 2023

There should be at least one day in your week where you’re able to purely go with the flow.

No obligations; no mandatory tasks; no appointments—just time to do whatever your soul desires.

Sunday is that day for me.

I chronically have a ton of stuff on my to-do list and could easily work from sun up to sun down trying to get it all done every day of the week if I wanted to. But, on Sundays, I practice detaching from my productivity focused mind and practice opening myself up to opportunities for flow that present themselves.

Because while checking a handful of items off my to-do list will undoubtedly feel good, honoring the pull of my soul will ultimately feel better. Which isn’t to say to-do lists should always be ignored. It’s simply to say—that’s what the other six (or whatever ratio works for you) days are for.

P.s. In case you missed it, you can read the best of what I posted to MoveMe Quotes last week, here.