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!
So these two guys are on a road trip…
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These two guys are on a road trip. But their car isn’t in great shape. It’s moving, but it’s a bumpy, rattling ride. That’s because—for some reason—their car has square wheels. At one point, they pull over to stretch their legs. A third guy comes along in a car that’s steady and smooth. Because it has round wheels, of course. This guy notices the pair, stops his car, and rolls down the window. “Hey guys. I happen to have a spare set of round wheels with me. Want me to help you swap yours out?” The two road trippers look at each other, look at their car, and finally look at the guy trying to help. One of the road trippers shrugs. “Thanks, but we’re in a hurry and really should get moving again.” Trying to get stuff done without a personal productivity system is like driving a car with square wheels. If you’d just take the time to stop and make an upgrade, you’d reach your destination much faster… |
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!
Have you heard this saying before? Apparently it comes from the Navy SEALs: “Slow is smooth, and smooth is fast.” It’s easy to imagine SEALs working this way. They don’t rush their preparation. They don’t cut corners when cleaning their rifle. And they don’t jump out of their helicopter a second before they’re supposed to. It’s harder to remember this for ourselves. We don’t need to imagine we’re special operatives as we go about our days. (Yikes, way too stressful.) But, as much as we might...
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...