Hey, everyone!
Did you ever feel like you were doing your best but didn't get much done?
Laying in your bed at the end of the day, wondering why you only made it halfway through your to-do list? Even when you worked your ass off?
I've been there too. Maybe more times than I'd like to admit.
But I found my way out, and I'd like to show you how.
I'd consider myself a disciplined and well-organized person with a good work ethic. But like pretty much anyone, I had days when I felt like I hadn't done what I set up for myself. Distractions, unnecessary multi-tasking, switching focus, unclear priorities. Even procrastination. It all got in a way.
I'd work long hours, but I didn't get much done. I thought quantity (dedicating more time) would do the trick, but it didn't. I couldn't catch up with everything. Hustling more wasn't the answer because I was hustling wrong. I needed a more fundamental change.
Over the years, I tried to research and test various techniques to improve this. The goal was to be more productive with less time, reclaim my focus, and work smarter. In the end, I wanted to feel good about how much I've accomplished in a day, week, or month.
Some ideas worked, some didn't. But in the end, I ended up using five techniques that made me more disciplined, productive, and calm.
Today, I'd like to tell you about the first two.
Before I jump in, let me quickly apologize for the delay with this post. I broke my schedule because launching the latest project took longer than expected. I needed to align it with my fresh Product Hunt post, too.
Also, my girlfriend successfully finished school last week. My mind was in a different mood because I was so proud of her! 🥳. You can read about why it is such a big deal for us. Her post is in Czech only, but I can translate it for you if you DM me. Happy to share why I admire her so much!
Anyways, to the main topic…
One (small) step at a time
Getting started is always the hardest part. No matter what you do or how small the task is, you often get held back by no motivation, overthinking, or laziness. You're blocking yourself from getting from 0 to 1.
But ever since I started using the Kaizen method, it's much easier for me to overcome these. I may not be implementing the method 100%, as outlined in various articles. But for me, Kaizen is all about making small steps (or changes) to achieve a greater goal. It's about creating continuous improvements and progress.
The beauty I find in this technique is that you can apply it to anything. From everyday tasks (like the example below) to "big" long-term plans and goals.
🙋🏻♂️ How I use it: A simple example could be designing a new screen or web page. That could look big at first. Too much effort. What if I don't think of designing it all at once? What if I instead break it down into smaller tasks? I'd first start with the tiniest piece, like creating a single button. Who wouldn't be motivated to do a single button? If that goes well, I can continue with the following task or take on a bigger one. I'd move step by step (which is also rewarding) and, in the end, reach the greater goal that looked too hard to do at first.
Keeping focus
Ok, we got the ball rolling. How to keep focus and don't get distracted? How to avoid procrastination or other things that could get in the way? My answer is: Be better with your time management.
Personally, I became a huge fan of the Pomodoro technique. I bet most of you probably know this one. But for those who don't, it's a technique that breaks your focus into intervals, typically 25-30 minutes, separated by short breaks.
🙋🏻♂️ How I use it: I have a simple app called Flow (Mac/iOS), which helps me set up intervals and breaks. I personally use 40 min focus and 10 min breaks. Flow automatically blocks distracting apps and websites when I turn on my "focus time." I have no chance to check anything unrelated to my task. No notifications, no Slack, no nothing. When I reach a break, I do the opposite. Check out socials, play a quick YT video, or reply to colleagues. It's a good time to grab some water and a snack, too.
What I also do in combination with Pomodoro is that I listen to Endel. Endel creates personalized, adaptive background sounds (soundscapes) that help me to keep focus. I do listen to podcasts and music when working. But sometimes, they tend to be too distracting. I need to pay too much attention. Endel solves this, and its AI can create great "neutral" sounds you can play any time a day. They even have a “heartbeat” sync, which is quite scary, but I love it! [Not a paid promo, I really do like their app.]
These are the first two (core) methods I use every day. I got a few more I want to tell you about so you know my whole "skillset." But with respect to this post's read time, I will save them for later.
There is one more thing I'd like to tell you about before we wrap up…
Showreelz.com is on ProductHunt! 😻
Showreelz.com "officially" launched last week. You probably noticed it on my socials already. The short video I teased you about in previous posts is out too, and it turned out way better than expected! So far, it's all going great. I'm happy about the positive reactions from the design community (especially motion designers). You're all the best!
Today, I'm also publishing the project on Product Hunt. I do this for all of my projects to proudly show what I made and get it out to people. If you got a minute, feel free to take a look or leave a comment.
If you'd like to support Showreelz in other ways, you can also retweet my original post on Twitter or LinkedIn or download one of these promo visuals and share them anywhere on your own time. Even a small mention means the world to me.
Have a great week, and talk soon!
A.
Links & inspiration
Stuff I'm currently digging:
💻 Website - Fen Fen Chen Portfolio - Minimal one-page portfolio with clean project thumbnails. Btw. Nice work with the 3-column grid!
🔤 Font - Raptor v2 - Geometric sans-serif typeface featuring contrasting, cut-off ends of characters and connections.
📺 Video - Kendrick Lamar - N95 - I'm quite new to KL's music, but this video caught my attention visually and creatively.
🛠 Tool - Morflax Shift - Upload your SVG file and convert it to 3D for free. Perfect for logos, shapes, or symbols. Create stuff like this with a few clicks.
🗂 Case study - Subtack Podcast player - Substack recently updated their app with a new player, and Alex wrote a nice thread about it.