UPDATED FEBRUARY 3RD, 2021
I created this page to help me allocate the right amount of time and energy to what I need and want to do. I will update this page regularly as I fine-tune its mandate. I’m striving for better harmony in my life and taking on too much puts the focus I need to work on the above in jeopardy.
I’m also focused on deep work (as described by my friend Cal Newport) going forward, which lines up well with my personal productivity philosophy. I’ll be writing more about this in my weekly ATTN: email and Medium.
MY DAILY THEMES
Here are my Daily Themes. Every day has one so that it triggers my overarching focus for that particular day of the week. My Daily Themes are defined as follows (with my week starting on Sunday), with dates established for those themes in parentheses:
- SUNDAY: Planning/Family Day (April 2020)
- MONDAY: Levelling Day (November 2019)
- TUESDAY: Listening Day (January 2021)
- WEDNESDAY: Deep Work Day (February 2021)
- THURSDAY: Training Day (February 2021)
- FRIDAY: Triage Day (April 2020)
- SATURDAY: Family/Planning Day (April 2020)
(Note: Giving a day a theme doesn’t mean I only do things related to that theme on that day, but those activities/types of work receive my overarching focus.)
MY MONTHLY THEME
My Monthly Themes act in the same manner as my Daily Themes. Some months I’ll have what I call a “hybrid” Monthly Theme, named as such because the theme will apply to both my personal and professional life.
My personal theme for the month of February is Finance. I really want to make sure that I get my financial house in order because doing that will allow me to make better choices with my money going forward. I will be getting back into YNAB (You Need a Budget) during this month and am going to focus on limiting purchases. The budgeting process is key and we’ll be putting one in place for our household – one that we can stick to going forward.
My professional theme for February is to give my overarching focus and attention to TimeCrafting Trust. Now that The BIG Ready has wrapped for this year I want to focus on building and nurturing the community that we have here at Productivityist. I’m adding an additional focus session to our membership perks, exploring additional features that we think would add more value to the membership, and I’ve already commissioned a web design firm to make the overall user experience with the membership better than it’s ever been. If you want to learn more about TimeCrafting Trust, just click here. I’d love it if you join us.
MY ANNUAL AXIOM FOR 2021
After using Chris Brogan’s “3 Words” approach to the new year for the past several years, I’m shifting to something I’ve developed for TimeCrafting: the Annual Axiom.
Essentially, it’s a phrase or mantra that represents my aim in all facets of my life for the next twelve months. I liken to what sports teams use in their locker rooms every season to help them strive to be the best they can be, game in and game out.
My Annual Axiom for the next twelve months is an initialism for the following phrase: Whatever it takes, no matter what. (I’ve shortened it to WIT NMW.) The concept behind it is that whatever I commit to doing, I’ll approach it with a “whatever it takes, no matter what” mentality.
PODCAST INTERVIEWS
I have episodes booked through to October 2021 for The Productivityist Podcast and I will not be conducting interviews for the show until September 2021. So if you’re looking to be on the show please reach out in late August when we open up guest submissions again.
OTHER POINTS OF NOTE
I am not currently reviewing any products (apps, books, etc.) other than those I’ve already committed to reviewing.
SPEAKING
I am always willing to look at in-person and virtual speaking engagements – both keynote talks and workshops. Check out my speaking page to learn more.
This page was inspired by Derek Sivers.