My Latest Productivity Strategies
Making use of the recent productivity tips and tools, along with my tried and trues.
POSITIVE AFFIRMATION
“I read all these books and I pick up productivity tips that sound interesting. So, I implement a few of them and eventually, a few make it into my routine.
Today I will enjoy experimenting, knowing I’ve built a strong foundation of acceptance.”
- Johnny T. Nguyen
Last week I gave a roundup of my current fav newsletters, aka emails that shed unique info on productivity and living better. Today, I’m giving a roundup of my current favorite strategies to be productive.
For the past several years writing this newsletter focused on productivity and positivity, it’s evolved and refined into something very pointed - balanced and neutral productivity. We know hustling and grinding it is out. In for the long term is being productive and healthy today and for all the days that come next, into our 100’s. Ask yourself, what’s the point of a morning and evening routine, and a strict lifestyle (gasp, Bryan Johnson!) if you aren’t actually happy?
Let’s talk productivity strategies.
A strategy is a plan of action to achieve a specific aim. My aim has matured into productivity longevity. The plan to achieve that has evolved as new ideas are proposed, old ideas become relevant, and what the latest research reveals.
I’ve broken down my current strategies into 4 categories:
Techniques - No fancy tools required, at most a pen and paper
Tools - Take advantage of what’s available in the year 2025
Mental Health - Peak productivity thru peak happiness
Unique Actions - Customized and specific to my stage in life
TECHNIQUES
+/-/Next - This came from Anne-Laure Le Cunff’s recent book, Tiny Experiments. The idea is when something positive in your life happens, write it down. When something negative, same thing. And then Next means, what will you do next with that knowledge. If it was a positive experience, maybe you can schedule more of it. If negative, how can you prevent it or make it less likely from occurring.
To-Do List - Ah, the eternal struggle to find the perfect to-do list. Is it an app, is it bullet journaling, is it a bunch of yellow sticky notes all over the edges of your computer monitor?! What’s been working for me is the idea from Cal Newport in Slow Productivity. Simply put, there’s the tasks you are actively doing and the everything else. Your active tasks must be bite size and can only add up to what’s achievable that day. The full list is in the “holding tank” and you pull another one up once you finish an action.
Positive Present-Oriented Affirmations - I’ve written a lot about this already. Simply put, it’s a positive affirmation that is framed in the here and now. Don’t say, “I will…” Instead, say, “I am…” This slight shift is powerful because you don’t have to wait for a future moment. Rather, you have power in this moment right now.
TOOLS
AI Pro Account - I’ve tried Claude Pro and am currently on Perplexity Pro, both $200 annually. I know I’m barely scratching the surface of what these plans can do, but even then, I think it’s far more powerful than the free versions. I can establish dedicated spaces, upload specific documents, and give it instructions that I don’t need to repeat over and over. Embrace the tool and see what it can speed up in your life.
Arc Browser - Recommended by Kevin Rose, I’m now using the Arc browser on my laptop and my iPhone, instead of Chrome. Why? Because at the very least it’s good for brain health to adapt to a different way of working. And at the very most, maybe I’ll discover why it claims to be, “The comfort of privacy. Arc is built from the ground up to be private and secure. We don’t know what sites you visit or what you search for.”
Delete Social Media - Ok, not exactly a tool to obtain, but a tool to discard. I got fed up with the tech billionaires making money off of my content and using them for nefarious purposes, so I deleted my accounts or at the very least buried the apps within folder, increasing the friction to use them.
MENTAL HEALTH
Movies and Long Form Articles - It requires intention to protect our attention. Media is all about capturing your attention and over the years, it’s resulted in shorter and shorter attention spans. Therefore, to protect our attention span, seek our longer articles to read and watching movies - uninterrupted.
Schedule Time Off - Another tip from Slow Productivity, a book I wanted to dislike but ended up liking, is to block off your calendar and schedule time to relax and chill, such as going to watch daytime movies. As Newport describes and I agree, going to a daytime weekday movie just feels magical. I recommend scheduling several of them, knowing not all of them will pan out.
SPECIFIC TO ME
This category needs a preamble to make sense of the strategies below. I’m 45 with a lovely wife, a 2 year daughter in a germ factory, aka daycare, and we are expecting our second child soon.
Don’t Rush - The biggest lesson from my annual review last year was that I was feeling rushed too much, which ruined my mental state and of those around me. Thus, I vowed this year to pay attention to whenever I feel the creep of rushiness that I’d pause, ask myself if this moment was time critical, and if not, slow down. Any parent will you that time flies and before you know it, your kids are grown up and out of the house. One of the best advice I got from a friend when I was expecting our first kid was when the day comes that your tiny baby has fallen asleep on your shoulder and you’re so tired and stressed that you wanna move on, to slow down and soak up that moment. Before you know it, the kid will be too big to ever fall asleep on your shoulder again. I gotta slow down.
Don’t Get Sick - I must have the immune system of someone who was raised in a bubble because I seem to catch everything my daughter has! Because of that, I’ve added L-Glutamine to my supplement stack for the past several months.
“L-Glutamine is the most abundant amino acid in the body and is a critical amino acid that is integral to protein synthesis, immune function, and gut health. L-Glutamine is a critical building block of the body supporting protein synthesis, providing energy to cells, and helping aid in muscle growth and repair. Early research also shows it may help maintain a healthy gut microbiome by supporting gut mucosal lining and integrity while reducing inflammation.” - Momentous
That plus cold showers, I believe, has led to less severe symptoms… but still just as often getting sick. ;/
Siddhartha - Herman Hesse’s 1930’s Siddhartha german book made an impression me. My takeaway is don’t get distracted by samsara, aka suffering. The big revelation in life is that who you are today is everything you’ve been in the past and everything you’ll be in the future. In practical terms, I interpret that to mean my flaws and errors in the past make me into who I am today. Similarly, what I do today will determine who I’ll be tomorrow. So all of me is connected throughout time. I find that thought comforting because it allows for acceptance and forgiveness - yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Be a good person and just live.
TAKEAWAY
I love getting a glimpse of what successful people are doing in their life. Not saying I’m uber successful but I am happy! I hope you enjoyed ready what’s currently working for me and would love to hear what you’re tinkering with!
BELOW THE CUT
Here’s a few more strategies I do utilize but didn’t quite make the cut for the above list:
➩ 1 hour of deep work… whenever I can find it.
➩ Weekly plans and annual reviews
➩ Any.do app for capturing ideas
➩ If someone makes the time to talk to me, then so will I.
➩ In times of change, sometimes it’s best to keep your head down and color.
➩ Stretching - before, after, and DURING workouts, and of course before going to bed.
SOME HUMOR
