You might not want to hear this. I debated whether to tell you. But I’ve never shied away from saying it like it is. Perhaps that’s because I’m Dutch—we’re famous for being direct. Or perhaps it’s that I secretly enjoying needling people a little. Either way, I’m going to tell you. Recently, I sent out a little survey, asking people what they struggle with the most. Here’s one guy’s answer: I am so busy that whatever I do, I am still unable to do the minimum. This makes me so overwhelmed. So...
13 days ago • 3 min read
Do you badly need to organize and prioritize your very long to-do lists? Now’s the time. Why? Two reasons. First, every day that you continue to be disorganized and overwhelmed is costing you. Without prioritization and focus, you’re not moving forward. Second, the solution to this problem is about to get more expensive: I’m increasing the price of my task management courses by $50. At the new prices, it’s still a no-brainer investment. The peace of mind you’ll have from organizing your...
17 days ago • 1 min read
Imagine you buy a nice new wardrobe. It’s made from solid wood, it’s got brass handles, and it has plenty of space for hangers for your nice shirts. It has compartments for your pants, compartments for your socks, a dedicated space for your belts—the whole shebang. So you put the wardrobe together and start filling it up. You iron your shirts. You fold your sweaters and your pants. You roll up your belts. You neatly tuck them all away. Satisfied, you admire the results of your work. Before,...
20 days ago • 2 min read
That thing you’ve been wanting to do—that thing you’ve been working towards—that thing you’ve been watching other people and wondering, “can I do it?” You can do it. I remember when I first got the idea that I wanted to make money online. (Yes, it was about me at the time. These days, I realize that the joy comes from helping people much more so than from earning money.) It was 2017 and I was listening to lots of podcasts featuring people who were making hundreds of thousands of dollars, if...
27 days ago • 3 min read
One of my favorite to-do apps will be getting a huge update. It’s getting a new feature that will make it much easier to plan your days and to get your tasks done on time. Even if you don’t use this particular app, read on, because understanding the concept behind this feature can help you meet your deadlines. The huge update I’m talking about is coming to Todoist. So, what is it? Todoist is getting separate “do” and “due” dates: Amir Salihefendić @amix3k What if you could separate the due...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
There’s a lot coming at you most days: Emails to follow up on. Chat messages to digest. Tasks to complete. Documents to review and file. Meetings to prepare for. Notes to process. I could go on. It’s tempting to assume that as more information comes your way, you need an increasingly complex method for organizing it. But that’s not true. The more complex your system of folders and tags and labels, the more maintenance it needs. And the more maintenance your system needs, the less likely you...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
Yesterday I hosted a Q&A session for people who pre-ordered Productivity 101, my brand-new “back to basics” productivity course. At some point, we got to talking about having long daily to-do lists. One person said that he’s been working quite a bit on his productivity. In particular, he set up a task management system (in OmniFocus) that helps him make better decisions about how to spend his time. But, despite his best efforts, he still “does not have enough time in the day”. Several other...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
When major news happens, what does that do to you? Do you shrug it off and go about your day? Or does it consume your attention for an entire week? I’m not leading you towards a desired answer. Some news, you should shrug off. Other news, you probably should reflect on for a while, assuming you care about being an informed citizen and voter. Which news you should shrug off or reflect on depends on your interests, opportunities, abilities, and life situation. Let’s say that today (or,...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
Hello and happy Sunday! I have two announcements for you. After that, some thoughts as usual—today, about an underrated skill we should all develop asap. Todoist: 1-click setup & calendar integration First, for those of you who use Todoist, I’ve got some fun updates to share. You can now install my recommended Todoist setup with one click! I’ve been working with the Todoist team to make this happen and it’s exciting that it’s finally there. To install my recommended setup: Open Todoist Next...
2 months ago • 4 min read
