One Thing At A Time, Getting Things Done, Personal Leverage & Cool Products
Last week was the first week I didn't spend much time building in a while.
I was focused only on online things: rebuilding my blog, working on some software, planning other things.
And it felt great.
I'd forgotten what true focus feels like: really focusing on just one thing at a time, hours on end, doing the same thing day after day, and then seeing little bits of progress as a result.
It's motivating! And it builds momentum too, especially when you're working on systems that make stuff easier in the future.
When I left my job a few months ago, it was largely because I had too much stuff going on.
I was trying to experiment and keep up with AI, learn how to build some sheds, and keep up a full-time job, along with everything else in my life.
When I quit, I thought "surely I can manage two things at once."
At the end of the day, I think there's only room for one. Certainly only one at a time.
Otherwise, you just never get to build that momentum.
You never get to spend enough time to put the system in place, and reap the rewards.
You never get time to see enough progress and results to keep you motivated.
So, at least for me: one thing is enough.
Less but better.
Have a great week!
Graham
📚 Book Notes: Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity
The single best productivity book I have ever read.
This book will teach you how to capture and create action items (aka tasks), organize all your projects and reference information, and keep it up-to-date.
Pair this with Tiago Forte’s PARA system, start using progressive summarization, and you’ll be in the top 1% of organized people. It will change your life.
📖 Article: Personal Leverage: How to Truly 10x Your Productivity — Nat Eliason
Nat’s productivity system is a great mental model for how to truly get more done through leverage.
🔋Products:
Since it's still Cyber Monday, I'll highlight a few products I like (that are also on sale):
- Ecoflow batteries & off-grid equipment: I bought one of their batteries to power my off-grid office, and I'll be buying one of their heating/AC units for it too. So far I've been very impressed with the app, and they're best-in-class for solar charging. You can get 5% off with this link.
- SiPhox blood testing: I've used SiPhox for a couple years now for regular blood testing, and they've been great. Their software integrates wearable data (like WHOOP, Apple Health, etc.), and they have a bunch of great new plans that let you test every 6 months, quarterly, monthly, etc. Get 25% off with this link.
📣 Quote:
"What focus means is saying no to something that you [think]--with every bone in your body--is a phenomenal idea," he concludes. "And you wake up thinking about it. But you say no to it because you're focusing on something else." — Steve Jobs
