Hi, I’m Peter from Amsterdam. I’ll help you get organized and be more productive. Every Sunday, I send a productivity-themed newsletter to 10,000 people. Join us!
No, now is not a good time
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How many open loops do you have at the moment? Opening more loops than you close is a surefire way to increase your perceived busyness. You’re not getting more done, you don’t have more on your plate—you’re just trying to do it all at once. When I feel overwhelmed, I stop opening new loops. No, this week is not a good time to meet for lunch. No, I can’t commit to releasing this new product soon. No, I’d really love to join, but I’ll have to skip dance class this time. Sometimes, our mouths are bigger than our bellies. So we eat less for a while. And then we feel better. |
Peter Akkies
Hi, I’m Peter from Amsterdam. I’ll help you get organized and be more productive. Every Sunday, I send a productivity-themed newsletter to 10,000 people. Join us!
The other day, I was coaching a well-connected client. She told me about meeting the CEO of a Fortune 500 company: I was sitting with this CEO and I was struck by how incredibly present he was during our entire 90-minute meeting. It just seemed like his entire attention was on our conversation and nothing could distract him. At one point, I asked something he didn’t know the answer to. He pulled out his iPhone, tapped on it for 15 seconds, then put the phone back in his pocket. An hour after...
Ever since I was 17, I’ve traveled to and lived in many different countries. Seeing places and meeting different people inspires me and gives me better ideas, so I‘m planning to travel often for the rest of my life. But traveling does affect my productivity and my work. It’s just harder to get stuff done on the go. You don’t have your comfortable home workspace. The wifi might be bad. Your routines are all out of whack. So what can you do to stay productive while traveling? Here are some...
You know that feeling when you’re expecting guests? You tidy up, but you don’t go overboard. You make sure there’s no underwear on the coffee table, but you don’t alphabetize your spice rack. That’s exactly how I want you to think about productivity. After years of teaching people how to get more of the right stuff done, I’ve noticed something interesting: There’s a sweet spot between chaos and over-organization. I call it your “minimum viable organization”. Some structure is good. Having a...