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. |
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In the comments on my latest YouTube video, someone asked: Do you have videos on prioritisation? I have an awesome system I’ve set up in Apple Reminders, but I just can never seem to prioritise the list perfectly and always feel behind. This person is already doing a great job, having all of their to-dos captured to Apple Reminders and organized into lists. But it’s a good question: How do you actually decide what to work on first? Is there a formula? I’ll get back to that in a second. But...
One of my favorite things to do is to say, “no”. No, I won’t embark on that new project right now. (I have too many unfinished projects already.) No, I’d rather not help out with that volunteer initiative you’ve started. (I’ve overcommitted myself and don’t want to make it worse.) No, this week is not great for meeting for lunch. (I need as much focus time as I can get to ship this new product.) That last one can be tricky. Because people like to feel special. When you say, “this week isn’t...
I’m in Bali right now, coworking with a good friend of mine. About two years ago, he and I were also both here on the island. In fact, that’s when we met. I remember our first conversation well. He was extolling the virtues of cryptocurrency and I was, to put it mildly, skeptical. To me, crypto felt like a hype—nothing more. In the months after, we often talked about a different hype: AI tools, and in particular ChatGPT. I was initially quite skeptical about those, too. I thought most AI...