Most people’s to-do lists are just dumping grounds. They write things like: Learn Spanish Redesign website Train for a marathon Email dentist All in the same place. All with equal urgency. Which means every time they open their list, they’re hit with shame and indecision. But you? You have a Someday bucket. A separate list for ideas that aren’t for today—but still matter. You don’t delete them. You don’t obsess over them. You put them somewhere safe—and move on. Right?
10 days ago • 1 min read
What’s always just beyond your grasp? What would you definitely get to—if only you had an extra two hours in your day? What’s been on your goal list for a looooong time without any progress? How can you finally, finally get around to this thing? The answer isn’t trying harder. That doesn’t work. You’ve tried trying harder, haven’t you? I sure have. And I got two years of burnout as a reward. There’s only one way that works. But first: be nice to yourself, for Pete’s sake. Stop telling...
17 days ago • 1 min read
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...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
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...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
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...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
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...
2 months ago • 1 min read
This might be uncomfortable. But let’s take a minute to ask: What are you not getting around to? It might be the most common productivity struggle: not having time for things you consider to be really important. When I work with people 1:1 or in a group setting, they often tell me some version of this story. They got a new job and it’s a very busy one—and now they haven’t worked out in half a year. Somehow their weekly schedule just filled up over time—and now they haven’t played their...
2 months ago • 1 min read
We all fall off the wagon sometimes. Sometimes life happens and you’re so busy that you stop taking the time to write down your to-dos, to prioritize them, and to plan your days and weeks. It’s okay. What matters is how you respond. If I had to build a personal productivity system from scratch, here’s what I’d do: Step 1: I’d install a quality task manager on each of my devices and I’d start capturing any to-dos that come my way, making sure to track any hard deadlines. Step 2: I’d make a...
3 months ago • 1 min read
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...
3 months ago • 1 min read