Category: Self Help

When life keeps changing, should your productivity system stay the same? In this encore episode, we share how rigid routines can start to hold you back once your priorities evolve — whether that’s starting a new job, building a relationship, or entering a completely new season of life.

Discover how to plan with flexibility, stay anchored to your long-term vision, and truly enjoy the passage of time — even when everything around you is shifting. If you’ve ever felt that your old productivity methods no longer fit your new reality, this episode will help you recalibrate, refocus, and find flow again.

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Spiritual knowledge expands your perspective.
It helps you connect with the Source—the Universe—your higher self.

But here’s the truth most seekers quietly feel: Spirituality alone doesn’t always translate into action.

You can meditate, visualize, even glimpse the infinite —
and still feel stuck in the same patterns of stress, fear, or resistance.

Why?
Because spirituality understood is not the same as spirituality embodied.

The theories, the mysteries, the teachings—they open your mind to new truths.
But embodiment is what makes those truths real.

When wisdom descends from your head into your heart, your breath, and your nervous system, your energy recalibrates. Your biology starts to mirror your consciousness.
And suddenly, you’re not chasing purpose or peace—you’re radiating it.

This is the next stage of human evolution: where spirituality stops being something you believe in but is something you become.

At Mindvalley, we’ve spent years exploring how to make spirituality not just mystical but measurable.

What we’ve discovered is profound:

When the body remembers what the soul has always known,
That’s when transformation becomes permanent.

That’s the embodiment.  And that’s what this new era of awakening is all about.

Now, let’s go deeper.

Why “embodiment” is the missing link in most spiritual practice

Modern science is finally catching up to what mystics have known for centuries. The body isn’t separate from consciousness. It’s an instrument of it.

Neuroscience calls this interoception—the ability to sense your inner world. When you’re in tune with your heartbeat, breath, and fascia, your brain creates a state of coherence—the measurable harmony between mind and body.

Dr. Tara Swart, MIT neuroscientist and one of the speakers at this year’s Mindvalley Spiritual Summit, calls this “embodied intelligence.” It’s where intuition, logic, and energy converge into one seamless flow.

In the same way that the heart emits an electromagnetic field measurable up to three feet away, your entire nervous system radiates your state of being. When that system is aligned—when you’ve embodied your truth—the world around you starts to align too.

This is why true awakening can’t just live in your mind. It has to move through your body.

The next level of awakening: embodied spirituality

At the Mindvalley Spiritual Summit 2025 (taking place on November 22–23), we’re moving beyond spiritual information to spiritual integration. Because embodiment isn’t about chasing new experiences. It’s about anchoring your highest frequency in every breath, movement, and moment.

In our efforts to bring the best to you, we have recently added cutting-edge spiritual embodiment modalities that you can experience. Here’s how we’re doing it:

Qi Gong and energy flow: Shi Heng Yi

Led by the 35th-generation Shaolin Master, Shi Heng Yi, this practice connects movement, breath, and consciousness into one seamless current. He teaches that the body is the bridge between the mind and the universe—and when your Qi flows freely, so does your life.

In clinical research across 12 trials, Qi Gong has been shown to significantly reduce depression and anxiety, proving that ancient movement rituals regulate modern stress biology.

Learn from Shi Heng Yi.

Somatic healing and trauma release: Dr. Peter Levine

Dr. Peter Levine—the creator of Somatic Experiencing®—revolutionized how the world understands trauma. His work shows that emotional pain doesn’t just live in the mind; it’s stored as contraction in the body.

In randomized trials, Somatic Experiencing led to large reductions in PTSD and depression, lasting long after treatment. At the Summit, Peter will guide you in unlocking the body’s innate wisdom—releasing what’s held you back, one breath at a time.

Learn how to release the trauma stored in your body.

The way of presence: Sensei Zen Takai (the Zen Samurai)

Back by popular demand from Mindvalley University, Zen Takai—known as The Zen Samurai—returns to teach presence through embodied precision. A 16th-generation martial arts master, his sessions are not about combat but consciousness.

Through standing meditation, focused breath, and subtle movement, he teaches how stillness in motion becomes your ultimate spiritual discipline. Even short martial-style mindfulness programs have been shown to improve cognitive performance and emotional balance in just two months, because discipline of the body leads to discipline of the mind.

Learn the art of stillness from The Zen Samurai.

Neuroscience of embodied manifestation: Dr. Tara Swart

Manifestation isn’t just spiritual—it’s neurochemical. Gratitude, focus, and emotional regulation literally reshape the brain’s circuitry.

Studies show that people who keep gratitude journals for a few weeks are 25% happier, sleep better, and follow through on their goals more consistently. Another three-week brain-imaging study found that gratitude practices increased reward sensitivity in the brain—proof that consistent embodied emotion rewires your reality.

At the Summit, Dr. Swart will reveal how to use this science to align your brain with the vibration of abundance and intuition—not as theory, but as lived biology.

Learn to scientifically tap into your abundance and intuition.

Kundalini awakening: Dawn Hoang

Kundalini is not a mystical abstraction; it’s a physiological awakening of life force through the spine and nervous system.

In clinical studies, Kundalini Yoga has reduced PTSD symptoms and anxiety, improved memory, and elevated mood—even in older adults. Dawn Hoang’s approach integrates breath, sound, and somatic release into a trauma-informed activation that allows this energy to rise safely and powerfully.

You’ll experience a live, collective Kundalini activation—with hundreds moving in coherence, amplifying the field exponentially.

Experience a collective Kundalini activation.

Environmental energy clearing: Marie Diamond

Your outer environment mirrors your inner energy. In one fascinating study, hospital rooms designed using Feng Shui principles reduced patient anxiety and improved comfort levels compared to standard rooms.

Marie Diamond—the only European teacher featured in The Secret—will guide you to harmonize your space with your spirit, turning your home into a manifestation vortex.

Learn deep insights to build an environment around you that helps you thrive.

Identity-level manifestation: Regan Hillyer

Transformation becomes effortless when it aligns with your identity.

Research shows that when people align actions with their active identity, effort and persistence increase automatically. Meta-analyses across 15,000+ participants prove that combining clear mental intention with embodied visualization dramatically boosts success outcomes.

Regan’s session takes you beyond vision boards into identity re-coding—helping you embody the frequency of your highest self until it becomes your default reality.

Tune into advanced manifestation practices.

The science of embodied awakening

When the above modalities of spiritual embodiment converge—with your movement, breath, sound, and awareness—something measurable happens.

Your brain waves synchronize into calm alpha and theta states.

The vagus nerve triggers the parasympathetic system, calming your body’s stress response.

The fascia network begins transmitting energy instead of storing tension.

And your electromagnetic field (yes, it can be measured) expands in strength and coherence.

In other words, you connect and embody a higher version of yourself.

This is why this experience is the beginning of actually living your spiritual purpose.

Why we designed this summit now

Over 100,000 people are expected to join the Mindvalley Spiritual Summit 2025, both virtually and in person, in Los Angeles. But this isn’t just another event. It’s a two-day energetic portal.

Every master builds on the one before, so the practices weave into a single field of transformation. You’ll leave not with notes, but with a daily embodied practice—a 20-minute system that integrates six or more modalities into one flow.

Over two days (November 22–23), you’ll:

• Activate life-force energy through Qi Gong and Kundalini
• Rewire your nervous system with Somatic Healing
• Enter stillness through Shaolin and Samurai disciplines
• Align your environment through Feng Shui
• Integrate manifestation as identity, not desire
• Experience Quantum Jumping, where you meet alternate versions of yourself across realities

Claim your free virtual access

Join this spiritual summit experience—live in Los Angeles or virtually from anywhere.

November 22–23, 2025
Los Angeles Center Studios—or join live on Zoom
Free virtual access is available now

You’ll join 100,000+ seekers and nine global masters—including Shi Heng Yi, Dr. Peter Levine, Sensei Zen Takai, Dr. Tara Swart, Dawn Hoang, Marie Diamond, Regan Hillyer, and myself—for two days of deep embodiment and energetic awakening.

What does spiritual embodiment mean in your life right now? Drop me a comment below—I’ll be reading all of them.

A final thought

You’ve studied the maps. You’ve read the books. You’ve practiced the meditations.

Now it’s time to become the master. Because embodiment is where awakening stops being an idea and starts becoming your frequency.

See you at the Summit,
—Vishen

Two people meet, discover an uncommon electricity flowing between them, exhilarate each other into forgetting the abyss that always gapes between one consciousness and another, until one day they realize they are having profoundly different experiences of the same situation and find themselves suddenly hanging from the precipice of the abyss with one hand, sparring over the reality of the situation with the other.

What to do?

In 1951, as the Cold War was menacing the world with mutually assured destruction, the pioneering psychologist Carl R. Rogers (January 8, 1902–February 4, 1987) addressed the Centennial Conference on Communications at Northwestern University with a revelation of a talk plainly titled “Communication: Its Blocking and Its Facilitation,” later included in his classic On Becoming a Person (public library) — an inquiry into the crux of mutual misunderstanding and the remedy for it, as applicable to love as it is to war, revealing the same psychological forces coursing beneath the bloodiest conflict between groups and the subtlest discord in our intimate relationships.

Many people, Rogers observes, turn to therapy because communication within themselves has broken down and, consequently, their communication with others has suffered — parts of them have been evicted from awareness and padlocked in the attic of the unconscious, no longer able to communicate with “the managing part,” seeding a silent tension that bleeds into all close relationships. (There is a particularly damning flavor of self-righteousness in which we presume to see clearly the internal fissures of the other, flag them and indict them, all the while dissociating from the part of us that knows how awful it is to be on the receiving end of such judgments. These are the regrets we live with, the sharp-fanged shame that bites into the bone of 4 A.M.)

All the while, we cling to our own frames of reference as the banisters to secure our shaky cohesion. This, Rogers observes — this “tendency to react to any emotionally meaningful statement by forming an evaluation of it from our own point of view” — is the single most bruising barrier to communication. He writes:

The major barrier to mutual interpersonal communication is our very natural tendency to judge, to evaluate, to approve or disapprove, the statement of the other person, or the other group… Although the tendency to make evaluations is common in almost all interchange of language, it is very much heightened in those situations where feelings and emotions are deeply involved. So the stronger our feelings the more likely it is that there will be no mutual element in the communication… Each [is] making a judgment, an evaluation, from his* own frame of reference.

In consonance with the Buddhist strategy for repairing a relationship, he contours the alternative:

Real communication occurs, and this evaluative tendency is avoided, when we listen with understanding. What does this mean? It means to see the expressed idea and attitude from the other person’s point of view, to sense how it feels to him, to achieve his frame of reference in regard to the thing he is talking about.

Stated so briefly, this may sound absurdly simple, but it is not.

At the heart of the shift is what Rogers terms “empathic understanding — understanding with a person, not about him.”

To grasp the difference from the inside, he proposes a “little laboratory experiment”:

The next time you get into an argument with your wife, or your friend, or with a small group of friends, just stop the discussion for a moment and for an experiment, institute this rule. “Each person can speak up for himself only after he has first restated the ideas and feelings of the previous speaker accurately, and to that speaker’s satisfaction” … This would mean… that before presenting your own point of view, it would be necessary for you to really achieve the other speaker’s frame of reference — to understand his thoughts and feelings so well that you could summarize them for him. Sounds simple… but if you try it you will discover it is one of the most difficult things you have ever tried to do. However, once you have been able to see the other’s point of view, your own comments will have to be drastically revised. You will also find the emotion going out of the discussion, the differences being reduced, and those differences which remain being of a rational and understandable sort.

Having ranked an undefensive attitude first among the three elements of the good life, Rogers adds:

This procedure can deal with the insincerities, the defensive exaggerations, the lies, the “false fronts” which characterize almost every failure in communication. These defensive distortions drop away with astonishing speed as people find that the only intent is to understand, not judge.

The most assuring part of his method is the insistence that “it can be initiated by one party, without waiting for the other to be ready” — a single hand held out from the edge may be enough to keep both from perishing in the abyss. And yet it takes tremendous courage to do that, because it demands tremendous vulnerability. Rogers writes:

If you really understand another person in this way, if you are willing to enter his private world and see the way life appears to him, without any attempt to make evaluative judgments, you run the risk of being changed yourself. You might see it his way, you might find yourself influenced in your attitudes or your personality. This risk of being changed is one of the most frightening prospects most of us can face.

An abyss will always gape between us. But if we belay down the cliffs of judgment into understanding, we may indeed find ourselves transformed by the descent; we may find that at the bottom of it is simply love.

Half a millennium into our recovery from the civilizational wound Descartes inflicted by severing the body and the mind, we are bleeding with a Cartesian cleft of our own making — the damaging divide between life and work. The notion of a “workaholic,” often worn as a badge on the lapel of the modern ego, presupposes someone who makes work the central axis of life at the expense of living. The very question of “work/life balance,” inherited from the industrial model of labor, asks us to live in parts — a portion of the person doing the working, another doing the living. But culture is not made the way cars are made. We create — anything that is not mechanical, that is not a commodity, that touches anyone else in a meaningful way — with everything we are: every experience we have ever had, every book we have ever read and every place we have ever walked, every elation and every shattering. The simplest poem pouring from the poet’s pen, the smallest wooden spoon taking shape in the carpenter’s hand, is the work of a lifetime.

On the cusp of turning seventy, as his lifelong friend Richard Avedon was dying, legendary theater director André Gregory took up drawing to his own surprise and found himself returned “to some very early state, a time before loneliness, abandonment, and fear” — that lovely feeling of breaking the template of oneself, leaving the comfort zone of competency on which reputations are built, and venturing into the vivifying firstness of something new. Such seemingly unproductive pastimes, Gregory realized, feed the life that is the raw material for the work, though we never know what will sprout from each lived seed.

Shortly after Avedon’s death, Gregory wrote to his friend the letter he “always intended to write but never did,” addressing their divergent views on life and work — the “one deep source of disagreement and friction” in their profound friendship. (Everyone who has lost a loved one knows that the conversations continue, knows what Hemingway knew: that “no one you love is ever dead.”)

In what might be the mightiest defense of the creative spirit since William Blake’s, Gregory writes:

Let’s face it — artists are always working, though they may not seem as if they are. They are like plants growing in winter. You can’t see the fruit, but it is taking root below the earth.

In a passage evocative of Kurt Vonnegut’s magnificent poem-parable about the Shelter Island billionaire and the measure of enough, Gregory holds up a mirror to his departed friend — one from which every living person who wouldn’t know who they are without what to do averts their eyes:

You owned that exquisite house in Montauk, one of the loveliest I have seen anywhere, on the cliffs overlooking the ocean. You designed it yourself. But you almost never went there. Did you yearn for another kind of life? Yes, you had friends—almost all driven and workaholic artists—but never a community. You saw each of us alone. In those lovely rooms of yours, over superb dinners, the talk would always be of work, work, and work.

Each time you stopped, you would descend into a depression, believing that you had hit a wall and lost the ability to work, that you would never work again.

The contrast Gregory paints is a miniature manifesto for the fundamental indivisibility of the self and the combinatorial nature of creativity:

You chose work. I have chosen the life. The work and the life.

At least I have done so in the last 30 years. Doesn’t the work on the self inform the Work? When we inch closer to ourselves, to who we originally were, who we’re meant to be, doesn’t that serve the work, doesn’t it connect us more deeply to others? Isn’t there value in spreading laughter, love, and compassion to the people around us? … The work changes the life, and the life changes the work.

Couple with Benedictine monk and philosopher David Steindl-Rast on the relationship between play and purposeful work, then revisit Lewis Hyde’s classic meditation on work vs. labor and how to sustain the creative spirit.

HT Letters Live

How much valuable knowledge slips through the cracks of your busy day? What are the ideas you jot down, forget, and never act on? Tiago Forte believes the key to unlocking your full potential isn’t doing more, it’s organizing what you already know. As the creator of the “Building a Second Brain” method, Tiago has helped thousands of people transform digital chaos into clarity.

In this encore episode, Tiago joins Thanh to share how you can capture, organize, and leverage information so your mind stays focused on creativity and decision-making. From his philosophy on weekly reviews to his favorite tools and mindset shifts, this conversation is packed with practical ways to stop juggling ideas and start executing with calm, confident focus.

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Visit www.asianefficiency.com for more productivity tips and tactics.

Cheat Sheet:

Become a member of TPS+ and get ad-free episodes a week before anyone else with other great bonuses like the famous “One Tweak A Week” shirt.

• 💡 Top 3 Productivity Resources [01:33].
• 🧠 What it really means to build a second brain and why it matters [04:29].
• 🚀 How Forte Labs began—and the moment Tiago realized productivity could be taught differently [04:55].
• 📚 Why managing knowledge may be the most underrated productivity skill of all [06:39].
• 🗂️ The simple four-part PARA system that can organize your entire digital life [13:15].
• 🔄 How sharing what you know multiplies your learning and impact [18:15].
• 🧩 Real stories of how knowledge management changes the way people work [19:19].
• ⚙️ One small, practical action you can take today to start your second brain [26:38].
• 💾 How to sort your ideas, notes, and projects without overthinking it [27:45].
• 🌱 The best place to begin if you’re new to personal knowledge management [34:46].
• 🔍 How Tiago’s system connects—and differs—from David Allen’s GTD [36:52].
• 🕒 A peek into Tiago’s own daily and weekly productivity habits [40:18].
• 🔁 Why the weekly review might be the single habit that holds it all together [40:51].
• 🌐 Where to explore more about Building a Second Brain and join the movement [49:10].

Links:

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Have you ever looked at those super-productive people and wondered how they do it all? It often feels like they have some secret superpower, a hidden gear that allows them to move faster and accomplish more. For years, I chased productivity hacks, trying to squeeze more out of the day, often ending up exhausted.

If that sounds familiar, you’re not alone. Many feel automation is a complex beast. But what if the most powerful gains aren’t in working harder, but smarter… by leveraging simple automations already at your fingertips? Today, my co-host Brooks Duncan and I will reveal five personal automation wins we use daily. These aren’t theoretical… they’re practical, real-world examples that have saved us countless hours and frustration. You don’t need to be a tech genius. Let’s unlock your hidden productivity superpower.

Typing Smarter, Not Harder: The Magic of Text Replacement

Think about how much you type every day. Emails, reports, messages… a big chunk involves repetitive phrases, your email address, or even entire paragraphs. What if you could type all of that with just a few keystrokes? That’s the magic of text replacement.

I remember a few years ago, at a dinner party with smart entrepreneurs, I started talking about TextExpander. To my surprise, none had heard of it. I pulled out my laptop and showed them how I could type “aet” and it would instantly expand to my full Asian Efficiency email address, or quickly insert phone numbers. Everyone was amazed. “Whoa,” they said, “I need this!”

It’s one of those things you don’t know you need until you see it. My email address is prone to misspellings. So, I created a snippet: “aet”. Now, it instantly expands. A tiny tweak, but it saves countless frustrating typos. Brooks, my co-host, once showed how he could generate a six-paragraph email by typing just three characters. That single automation saved him over 106 hours. It’s not just about time… it’s about eliminating those little frustrations that add up.

The best part? You don’t need a fancy app. Many operating systems have this built in. On iOS and macOS, it’s “Text Replacement”. On Android, “Personal Dictionary”. Microsoft Office has “AutoText”. No excuse not to try.

What repetitive phrases or misspellings do you type often? Imagine the time and frustration you could save by automating those.

The Power of a Single Keystroke: Mastering Keyboard Shortcuts

If you want to move faster and stay in your flow, keyboard shortcuts are your secret weapon. We spend so much time clicking through menus. What if you could perform those actions with a quick tap of keys?

I once showed my mom how to use “E” to archive an email in Gmail. She only remembered that one, but it still saves her a ton of time. You don’t need to learn dozens of shortcuts to see massive benefit. Just one or two for your most-used apps can make a world of difference.

Email is a prime candidate. You’re constantly replying, archiving, deleting. Learning these shortcuts helps you fly through your inbox, keeping your hands on the keyboard and your focus uninterrupted. I remember trying to get our team to use “GR” for “Go Recent” in Confluence. I told them countless times! But nobody adopted it until I demoed it in person. It was a lightbulb moment.

Even I had a recent “aha!” moment. Brooks mentioned “Command O” in OmniFocus. I’ve used OmniFocus for years, and I didn’t know about this! It lets you quickly jump to any project or tag. Life changer!

Here’s a simple challenge: Pick one app you use frequently. Find just one useful keyboard shortcut. Commit to using it at least five times a day. You’ll be amazed how quickly it becomes second nature.

What’s one app you use constantly, and what’s one action you perform repeatedly within it? Can you find a keyboard shortcut for that action and commit to using it this week?

Copy and Paste on Steroids: The Power of Clipboard History

How many times a day do you copy something, then realize you need to paste something else, and have to go back and re-copy the first thing? It’s inefficient. This is where clipboard history comes in… a super-powered memory for everything you’ve copied.

I first discovered this in 2008 while manually entering data from CSV files into a CRM and invoice templates. Copying a first name, pasting it twice, then the last name, pasting it twice… it was painfully slow. I stumbled upon clipboard history in LaunchBar.

It was a game-changer. I could copy the first name, then the last name, then the address… all in sequence. Then, I’d go to the CRM, pull up my clipboard history (the last 15 items), and paste everything in order. What used to take an hour now took about 15 minutes. That’s a 75% time savings!

Brooks uses clipboard history extensively for team collaboration. He’s constantly clipping URLs, ticket numbers, and page links. Instead of going back and forth, he clips everything, then pulls it from his history when ready to share. Incredibly handy for information sharing or data entry.

Many operating systems now have this built in. Windows 10 has clipboard history… just turn it on. For Mac users, fantastic third-party apps like Alfred (free version available), Keyboard Maestro, or LaunchBar offer robust features.

Where do you find yourself copying and pasting repeatedly? How much time could you save if you could access a history of everything you’ve copied?

Your Digital Butler: Automating File Organization

Is your downloads folder a chaotic mess? Do you spend too much time searching for that one document you know you saved “somewhere”? File automation is like having a personal digital butler that automatically sorts, renames, and files your documents for you.

Before I moved to the States, I filed a mountain of paperwork for my green card. Endless versions of documents, passport copies, bank statements… it was a nightmare. I set up file automation rules: as soon as an email attachment with “green card” or my lawyer’s name was downloaded, it would automatically move to my “Green Card” folder. Anytime I needed a file, I knew exactly where it was. It saved countless hours of searching.

Brooks has similar automations. He has a rule that keeps his desktop clean: if a file hasn’t been opened in more than a day, it sweeps it into an “Old Desktop” subfolder. He also manages large podcast recordings, automatically moving them to an external hard drive after 30 days to save space.

I use it for bank statements. My rule detects the generic file name, moves it to my “Bank of America” folder, and renames it with the current month and year. Completely hands-off.

This sounds complicated, but tools like Hazel for Mac or File Juggler for Windows make it simple. You tell the tool what to watch for (file name, keyword, date) and what to do (move, rename, tag). It’s a one-time setup that pays dividends forever.

Imagine your digital life perfectly organized without you lifting a finger. What kind of files would you love to have automatically sorted and filed away?

Set It and Forget It: The Peace of Mind of Automated Backups

This might not sound like the most exciting automation, but it’s arguably the most important: automated backups. Losing your precious photos, important documents, or years of work can be devastating. And yet, so many of us put off backing up until it’s too late.

My mom loves taking photos. She was constantly worried about losing them. She thought backing them up meant complicated steps with her old MacBook Pro. It felt like a huge, weekly chore.

I showed her one simple iCloud setting. Just by flipping a switch, all her photos would automatically back up to the cloud. I even offered to pay for her iCloud storage… a small price for her peace of mind! It saved her 15 minutes a week, but more importantly, it freed up so much mental energy. She didn’t have to worry about it anymore.

Brooks recently shared a story about his high school girlfriend whose daughter accidentally wiped her phone. If there’s no backup, those precious memories are often gone forever.

Automated backup systems are built right into almost every platform. You don’t need complicated software. For Mac users, Time Machine is built-in. For Windows users, File History. For iOS users, iCloud Backup. For Android users, online systems are available.

If you rely on a human to do something that isn’t fun, it probably won’t get done consistently. Backups fall squarely into that category. Setting up an automated backup system is a one-time effort that protects your digital life and gives you incredible peace of mind.

If you haven’t set up automated backups yet, please make it your top priority. What’s the one thing you absolutely cannot afford to lose on your devices? How much peace of mind would you gain by knowing it’s automatically protected?

We’ve covered five powerful personal automation wins today: typing smarter with text replacement, mastering keyboard shortcuts, supercharging your copy and paste with clipboard history, letting a digital butler organize your files, and gaining peace of mind with automated backups. Each can save you minutes, even hours, every single week. When combined, the time savings are truly significant. Brooks estimates he saves at least 10 hours a week, and for me, it’s easily an hour to an hour and a half a day. That’s a lot of extra time for things that truly matter.

Automation isn’t just for tech experts. It’s accessible, simple, and incredibly powerful.

Here’s your simple call to action: Pick just one of these automation wins that resonated with you. Maybe it’s setting up text replacement for your email, learning one new keyboard shortcut, or finally turning on automated backups. Implement that one thing this week. Notice the small moments of frustration it eliminates and the tiny pockets of time it creates. Once you experience the power of even a single automation, you’ll be hooked. Your future, more productive self will thank you.

Summer. For many of us, it conjures images of long, lazy days, maybe a vacation or two, and a general slowing down of the usual hustle. The emails might trickle in a little slower, the meetings might be less frequent, and the overall pace of life seems to dial down a notch. It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking this quieter period means less productivity, a time to simply coast until the fall rush kicks in. But what if I told you this perceived “downtime” is actually your secret weapon, a golden opportunity to make massive strides in your personal and professional growth?

Think about it like this: professional athletes don’t just stop training when their season ends. They enter an “off-season.” This isn’t a time for complete idleness. It’s a strategic period dedicated to focused improvement, to honing specific skills, and to preparing their bodies and minds for the next competitive season. They use this quieter time to come back stronger, faster, and more skilled. And you, too, can adopt this mindset for your own life.

Your One Summer Project: The Power of Focused Growth

My personal strategy, and one I’ve seen work wonders for countless others, is to pick one meaningful project to focus on during the summer. Just one. This isn’t about adding more to your plate; it’s about channeling your energy into something that will have a significant impact on your long-term goals. It could be anything from finally writing that book you’ve dreamed of, to mastering a new skill for your career, or even launching a side business.

Last summer, for example, I decided to pick up a new sport. I work a lot, and I needed something outside of work that would allow me to recharge, get some exercise, and have a social outlet. After trying a few things, I got hooked on pickleball. My goal for the summer was to play four times a week so I could eventually compete with really good players. I dedicated my summer to this, and by the end of August, I had improved significantly and reached my goal. It was awesome. The key was choosing something that excited me and aligned with my desire for personal growth and well-being.

So, what’s your project? What’s that one thing you’ve been putting off, or that skill you’ve wanted to develop? Choose something that truly excites you and aligns with where you want to be a year from now.

The Missing Piece: Skills, Habits, or Routines?

Once you’ve chosen your summer project, here’s where most people miss a crucial step. They jump straight into action without first identifying what they truly need to succeed. This is why so many attempts at new habits or routines fail. You might read about a great morning routine, try it for a week, and then wonder why it didn’t stick. Often, it’s because you haven’t tied that new behavior directly to a specific goal or outcome.

To set yourself up for success, break your chosen project down into smaller tasks. Let’s say your project is to write a book. Your tasks might include outlining chapters, conducting research, drafting sections, and editing. Now, here’s the critical part: highlight the tasks that seem most challenging or where you feel you lack experience. Maybe structuring your chapters feels daunting, or perhaps staying consistent with your writing is a struggle.

For each challenging task, ask yourself: What’s missing? Is it a skill, a habit, or a routine?

• Skill: Something you need to learn how to do. (e.g., creating a compelling outline, proper running technique, SEO optimization, effective decluttering techniques, speech writing).
• Habit: A consistent action you need to perform. (e.g., daily writing, running multiple times a week, dedicating 15 minutes each day to organizing, practicing public speaking regularly).
• Routine: A structured sequence of actions or a regular schedule. (e.g., dedicated writing time, mixing running with stretching and strength training, a room-by-room decluttering schedule, attending weekly public speaking sessions).

When I started playing pickleball, I realized I needed the habit of practicing regularly to improve. So, I set a goal to play four times a week. This helped me build the necessary skills and stamina, even in the crazy Texas heat. Identifying that specific missing piece—the routine of consistent play—was the game-changer.

Real-World Wins: How This Plays Out

Let’s look at a few more examples to drive this point home:

• Project: Cook Healthier Meals.

– Missing Skill: Effective meal planning.
– Missing Habit: Consistent grocery shopping.
– Missing Routine: Meal prepping every Sunday.

• Project: Train for a Marathon.

– Missing Skill: Proper running technique.
– Missing Habit: Running consistently, three to four times a week.
– Missing Routine: Mixing running, stretching, and strength training into your weekly schedule.

• Project: Organize Your Home.

– Missing Skill: Effective decluttering techniques.
– Missing Habit: Dedicating 15 minutes each day to organizing.
– Missing Routine: A room-by-room decluttering schedule.

• Project: Improve Public Speaking.

– Missing Skill: Speech writing.

– Missing Habit: Practicing on a regular basis.

– Missing Routine: Joining a public speaking club and attending weekly sessions.

If you identify multiple missing pieces, pick just one to start. Remember, one tweak a week is all it takes to make massive productivity gains. Start small, build momentum, and then add another piece.

Making It Happen: Your Summer Action Plan

This summer, don’t just let the quieter pace pass you by. Seize it as your off-season. Choose your one project, break it down, identify the specific skill, habit, or routine you need to develop, and then put it into action. Be specific with your goals, schedule time for them, track your progress, and reflect on what’s working (and what’s not) each week. Just like a pro athlete, you can come back from your summer stronger, more skilled, and ready to tackle new challenges with renewed energy and focus.

What will your summer project be?

Ever feel like your calendar is just a digital to-do list, a place where appointments go to die, or worse, a constant reminder of how overscheduled you are? Maybe you’re like my friend who always seems to be rushing, or perhaps you’re the one who occasionally misses a meeting because it just slipped your mind. We all use calendars, but how many of us truly master them?

For many, the calendar is a basic tool for keeping track of meetings and appointments. But what if I told you it could be so much more? What if your calendar could be your secret weapon for reclaiming your time, boosting your focus, and genuinely getting more of the important things done? My co-host Brooks and I recently dove deep into this on The Productivity Show, sharing 23 practical, rapid-fire tips that can transform how you use your calendar. These aren’t just theoretical ideas… they’re simple, actionable strategies we use ourselves to stay organized and productive.

The Foundation: Integrating and Personalizing Your Calendar

Think of your calendar as your personal command center. To make it truly effective, you need to integrate all aspects of your life and personalize it to your needs.

Bring Everything Together (and Keep it Separate When Needed)

It might sound counterintuitive, but integrating your work and personal calendars into one view is a game-changer. I’m a big fan of having all my Google, iCloud, and Office calendars in one app, like Fantastical. This way, you get a consolidated view of your entire day. The trick is to then focus on the relevant calendar when you’re in a specific context. For example, when I’m at work, I primarily see my work events, but my personal appointments are still there, preventing any overlaps. No more double-booking a doctor’s appointment with a client call.

Do you ever find yourself juggling multiple calendars and missing things?

Make it Visually Yours with Emojis

This might be a lesser-known tip, but using emojis in your calendar titles can add a surprising layer of clarity and fun. I use a star emoji for events I’m looking forward to. If I have to be on camera, a camera emoji goes right at the beginning of the title. It’s not an emoji fest… just a few simple visual cues that give me a quick sense of my day at a glance. Brooks loves this idea too, noting how it helps you quickly see if you’re overscheduled or need to add more fun events.

Don’t Forget the Family Calendar

For those with a household, a shared family calendar is essential. Whether it’s a digital Google Calendar or an old-school whiteboard, having a central place for everyone’s activities—sports practices, lessons, appointments—sets the stage so everyone knows what’s going on. It reduces chaos and keeps the whole family on the same page.

Set Smart Reminders

This one seems obvious, but it’s often overlooked. Always use default reminder settings. I set a one-hour reminder for every event. This buffer gives me enough time to prepare, travel, or wrap up whatever I’m doing. You can even set multiple reminders… say, one hour and then another 10-15 minutes before, to ensure you’re actively prepared.

Explore Your Calendar’s Hidden Powers

Are you using your calendar app to its fullest potential? Many of us get into a habit of using only the basic features. Take some time to explore new functionalities. Brooks discovered that Fantastical had a Calendly clone and a Doodle clone he wasn’t using. Calendar apps are constantly evolving, so a quick dive into their features can significantly up your game.

Time Zones and Widgets: Your Information at a Glance

If you work across different time zones, enable multiple time zones on your calendar. It saves you from constant mental math. And for quick awareness, add a calendar widget to your home screen. I implemented this years ago and can’t imagine living without it. It’s a quick, easy way to see what’s coming up without even opening the app. Brooks even found a setting in Fantastical during our chat that puts the next appointment right on his menu bar… talk about instant awareness!

Sync Your Contacts

Syncing your contacts with your calendar is incredibly helpful, especially for remembering birthdays. I use this to know about birthdays at least seven days in advance, giving me plenty of time to send a thoughtful gift or message. It also makes inviting people to events much smoother.

Strategic Scheduling: Making Time for What Matters

Your calendar isn’t just for reacting to what comes your way… it’s a powerful tool for proactively shaping your day and protecting your most valuable resource: your time.

Schedule Buffer Time

This is a concept I learned from Brooks and it’s a lifesaver. If you often find yourself scrambling at the end of the day, schedule 30 minutes of “buffer time” every day, perhaps at [4:30] PM. This recurring event is your dedicated time to catch up on emails, consolidate notes, and get up to speed on anything you might have missed. It’s a simple way to reset and ensure you leave the office feeling organized, not overwhelmed.

Don’t Forget Travel Time

We often underestimate how long it takes to get somewhere. Schedule travel time directly into your calendar events. If you have a doctor’s appointment at 11 AM, block out [10:30] AM for travel. My friend, who used to be notoriously late, even schedules a “leave at” event on his calendar. It sounds simple, but it’s about knowing yourself and setting yourself up for success.

Are you consistently late because you don’t account for travel?

Embrace Meeting-Free Days

Imagine a day with no meetings, just pure, uninterrupted work. This is the magic of meeting-free days. Whether it’s once a week or a few times a month, proactively block off these days on your calendar. Mark them as “busy” so no one can schedule anything. It’s a powerful way to catch up, focus on big projects, and experience that rare feeling of deep, productive work.

The Rule of Three for Deep Work

“If you don’t make time for the things that matters, then it typically never happens.” This is a core philosophy we live by. Instead of trying to find time for deep work, make time for it. I recommend the “Rule of Three”: schedule three blocks for deep work on your calendar each day. These don’t have to be huge blocks… even 30 minutes can make a difference. By proactively protecting these times, you create the space to work on your most important tasks.

The Power of Review: Weekly and Daily

Many people struggle with the weekly review, but it’s crucial for staying on track. The best way to ensure it happens consistently is to schedule it on your calendar. Mine is every Sunday at 6 PM, a recurring event with notes to guide me. If you’re super busy, a 15-minute daily review before or after lunch can serve as a miniature version, helping you stay up to speed.

Copy and Paste for Efficiency

For events that aren’t quite recurring but happen often, use your calendar app’s copy and paste feature. This is incredibly fast and easy for things like those deep work blocks or similar appointments. It saves you from manually creating new entries every time.

External Harmony: Streamlining Interactions and Information

Your calendar can also be a hub for seamless communication and information sharing, making interactions with others smoother and more efficient.

Add Links and Addresses to Events

Ever joined a meeting without an agenda or struggled to find the location? Always add links to agendas in your calendar event notes. If it’s a physical location, always add the address. This is critical for me since I don’t own a car… quickly copying an address for an Uber is a lifesaver. For online meetings, put the Zoom or meeting link in the location field. It makes joining incredibly easy for everyone.

Leverage Scheduler Tools

If you’re still emailing back and forth to find a meeting time, you’re wasting precious minutes. Use a scheduler tool like Calendly. It allows others to see your availability and book a time that works for both of you, without the endless back-and-forth. The goal isn’t to assert your time is more valuable, but to make scheduling easier for everyone involved.

Use Polling Tools for Group Coordination

When coordinating with multiple people outside of a shared organizational calendar, a polling service like Doodle is invaluable. You propose a few times, everyone indicates their availability, and you quickly find the best slot. It’s a huge time-saver for group meetings.

Track Recurring Bills

This might seem unusual for a productivity blog, but adding recurring bills to your calendar is a smart move, especially if they’re not on auto-pay. Back in college, with multiple credit cards and different due dates, this was my life-saver. Brooks recently set this up for his son’s first credit card. It’s a simple reminder to ensure you stay on top of your finances and avoid late fees.

Know Your Shortcuts

Learning just a few keyboard shortcuts for your calendar app can save you a ton of time. Creating a new entry or jumping to today’s date are two I use constantly. Find the ones that work for you and make them second nature.

Integrate with Your To-Do List

If you use a to-do list app like OmniFocus, integrating it with your calendar is a game-changer. You can quickly see deadlines and upcoming tasks in one view. It’s a great way to keep everything organized and ensure nothing falls through the cracks.

Conclusion

Your calendar is far more than just a place to jot down appointments. It’s a dynamic tool that, when used strategically, can profoundly impact your productivity, focus, and overall peace of mind. We’ve shared 23 tips, and I know that’s a lot. So here’s my challenge to you: pick just one tip from this list that resonates most, and implement it today. Just one. See how that small tweak can create a ripple effect, helping you unlock your calendar’s full potential and truly make time for what matters.

I remember a time when every morning felt like a scramble. Waking up to a chaotic to-do list and a barrage of new productivity buzz made me wonder if there was a simpler way. After years of trial and error, I realized that if I could start over from scratch, I’d lean on a few timeless fundamentals: mastering time, harnessing energy, and fine-tuning attention. This isn’t about chasing every new app or gimmick. It’s about anchoring your day to a few proven principles that can make every minute count.

1. Build on Proven Foundations: Time

In my early quest to be more productive, I jumped from one method to another. I tried creating my own personalized system until I finally discovered that proven frameworks work best. When I think about starting over, the first strategy would be to begin with a trusted method like Getting Things Done or the 12-Week Year. Here’s how I would streamline the process:

– Choose a Digital Calendar: Whether it’s Google Calendar or a favorite app like BusyCal, treat your calendar as non-negotiable territory. Commit to scheduling appointments and deadlines as if they’re unbreakable rules.

– Embrace Time Blocking: Instead of rigid 30-minute slots for every little task, block off larger chunks of time. Imagine dedicating two hours of uninterrupted focus. It might seem daunting, but the payoff in quality work time is worth it.

– Experiment with the Pomodoro Technique: Start with simple 25-minute bursts of work followed by a 5-minute break. Once you’re comfortable with that routine, consider extending your focus periods. This not only boosts productivity but helps you gradually build up your concentration stamina.

Have you ever felt overwhelmed by the endless apps and methods? Imagine if you started your day knowing that your appointments, tasks, and breaks were already laid out for you. What difference would that make?

2. Fueling Your Day: Harness Your Energy

No matter how well you plan your time, if you’re running on empty, nothing will matter. I’ve learned that energy is the currency that powers your productivity. If I could start over, I’d focus on these energy-boosting habits first:

– Prioritize Sleep: It sounds basic, but getting enough quality sleep is the foundation for a productive day. Instead of sacrificing sleep to squeeze in more work, establish a bedtime that allows you to wake up refreshed. A slight adjustment, like going to bed 30 minutes earlier, can transform your day.

– Exercise Consistently: Regular physical activity not only bolsters your energy levels but also resets your mental focus. You don’t need an elaborate gym routine; even a brisk walk or a simple strength workout three times a week makes a big difference.

– Reassess Your Caffeine Routine: I once made the mistake of carrying coffee into every part of my day. Switching to green tea after lunch helped keep my energy steady without disrupting my sleep.

Think about this for a moment:

Could a small tweak in your sleep or exercise habits be the missing ingredient to a more energized day?

3. Sharpen Your Focus: Mastering Attention

At its core, productivity is about where you direct your attention. A key insight I’d take back to the beginning is the “eat that frog” mentality – tackle your most important or challenging task first thing in the morning. Here’s how to keep your attention sharp:

– Start with Your Biggest Task: Complete the hardest or most critical item at the beginning of your day. This not only sets a positive tone but also builds momentum for the rest of your tasks.

– Set Aside Uninterrupted Blocks: In a world of constant distractions, even one hour of dedicated focus can be transformative. Whether you aim for one continuous block or two one-hour segments, guard that time fiercely.

– Incorporate Regular Thinking Time: Allocate moments to step back and reflect on whether you’re focusing on what truly matters. Spending 30 minutes each week on strategic thinking can reduce the feeling of being overwhelmed by the day-to-day tasks.

– Review Your Goals Daily: Begin each morning by scanning your goals. It might be just a minute, but this simple habit will keep your long-term vision in focus and help you prioritize the right tasks for the day.

Have you noticed how a clear focus in the morning can set the tone for an entire day? Sometimes, it’s about staying committed to that one protected block of time.

4. Beyond the Basics: Automation, Quality Investments, and Asking for Help

Once you have the basics of time, energy, and attention nailed down, there are a few additional strategies that can amplify your productivity even further if you were starting over:

– Automate Repetitive Tasks: From email filters to simple workflows, automation can save you countless hours. The sooner you implement these systems, the more you benefit from compounding efficiencies over time.

– Invest in Quality Tools: Instead of chasing every new and trendy tool, make a calculated investment in products that stand the test of time. Think of it as buying something that you won’t have to replace every few years, like a reliable pair of headphones or a well-built notebook for your ideas.

– Practice Quick Capture: Always have a system for capturing ideas as they occur. Whether you prefer a physical notebook or a digital app, ensure that nothing slips through the cracks.

– Don’t Hesitate to Ask for Help: Productivity isn’t a solo sport. Whether it’s delegation or simply asking for a favor to create distraction-free time, remember that asking for help is a strength. Often, people are more than willing to lend a hand if you just ask.

Imagine the exponential benefits of automating mundane tasks and investing in tools you truly enjoy. Instead of constantly switching apps at the drop of a hat, you’ll have a system that works for you and stays with you over time.

Bringing It All Together: The Ultimate Productivity Reset

If there’s one overarching lesson from reflecting on how I’d start over, it’s that simplicity matters. In a world flooded with productivity advice and tools, the real breakthroughs come from a few steadfast truths:

1. Stick to a Proven System: Don’t try to reinvent the wheel every day. Start with a framework that offers 80 percent of what you need and commit to it.
2. Guard Your Energy: Emphasize quality sleep, regular exercise, and smart nutritional choices. Your body and mind will thank you later.
3. Curate Your Focus: Protect your time from distractions by scheduling uninterrupted blocks, practicing mindful goal reviews, and tackling your most challenging task first.
4. Leverage Smart Tools: Use automation, invest in reliable products, and always capture your ideas on the fly. And remember, a little extra help never hurts.

Every one of us has faced moments of overwhelm at the start of our productivity journey. It’s normal to experiment with different methods, but the true secret is in finding a system that resonates with you and sticking with it. The next time you feel the urge to chase the latest productivity fad, pause and ask yourself: Is this really going to make a lasting difference?

As you reflect on these lessons, consider implementing just one small change today. Whether it’s setting up a quality digital calendar or designating a daily focus block, that one tweak can cascade into major improvements over time.

Your productivity journey is a marathon, not a sprint. Start by revisiting the basics, building on what works, and don’t be afraid to start over. Sometimes, the best growth comes from re-establishing a strong foundation. Remember: even the smallest adjustments can set off a chain reaction of positive change.

Keep it simple. Keep it sustainable. And most importantly, be gentle with yourself as you experiment and learn.

Have you ever had one of those days where everything is perfectly aligned, but you still can’t get anything done? I remember a few months ago, I had a Monday completely blocked off to write what I thought would be an epic blog post. I had the time, the focus, and I even took sleep supplements the night before, convinced I’d wake up refreshed and ready to tackle it.

But Monday morning arrived, and I was dead tired. I felt a little sick, and the thought of sitting down to write felt like climbing Mount Everest. Even though I knew exactly what I needed to do, and had carved out the entire day for it, I procrastinated. The article didn’t get written. As I journaled that night, I realized the problem wasn’t a lack of time or focus. It was a complete lack of energy.

This experience was a powerful reminder: without energy, productivity is a struggle. We often talk about time management and focus, but energy is the unsung hero of getting things done. At Asian Efficiency, we call this the T-framework: Time, Energy, and Attention. While many people are dialed into managing their time and attention, energy often gets overlooked. Yet, it’s arguably the most foundational piece. If your energy tank is empty, even the best time management strategies or deepest focus techniques won’t help you move forward.

Five Signs Your Energy Tank is Running Low

It’s easy to mistake an energy problem for something else, like procrastination or a lack of motivation. But there are clear signals your body and mind send when your energy reserves are depleted. Here are five common signs that energy might be holding you back:

• You dread the day before it even begins. Do you wake up feeling a sense of dread, needing a jolt of caffeine just to get going? This isn’t just morning grogginess; it’s a sign your body isn’t recovering adequately, and you’re starting the day in an energy deficit.
• Your evening plans consistently fall apart. You might leave work with grand intentions of personal development, working on a side project, or being fully present with your family. But by the time you get home, all you want to do is crash on the couch and watch TV. Your energy is simply too low to engage in anything meaningful.
• You have time, but you still don’t do it. Like my blog post example, you might have a task perfectly scheduled, with no distractions in sight. You intend to do it, but it just doesn’t happen. If this is a recurring pattern, it’s likely an energy issue, not a time management one.
• Tasks you once enjoyed now feel like a chore. Remember when certain aspects of your work or hobbies invigorated you? If those same activities now feel draining, even when all other variables are the same, it’s a strong indicator of energy depletion.
• You’re just going through the motions. Whether it’s at the gym, in a meeting, or tackling a project, you’re physically present but mentally disengaged. You bring no intensity or enthusiasm. This lack of engagement often stems from a lack of underlying energy.

You don’t need to experience all five of these signs to have an energy problem. Even if just one resonates deeply with you, it’s worth exploring how your energy levels are impacting your productivity.

Unmasking the Hidden Energy Robbers

Beyond these obvious signs, many things subtly drain our energy without us even realizing it. Think of your energy as a tank of gasoline you start with each morning. While eating and motivation can refill it, many daily activities act like tiny leaks, slowly depleting your reserves. Here are some common culprits:

• Dealing with drama. Whether it’s family conflict, office gossip, or constant complaining from colleagues, drama is an emotional vampire. It sucks your mental and emotional energy, leaving you with less for productive work or meaningful interactions.
• Feeling perpetually overwhelmed at work. While a tight deadline can sometimes provide a temporary burst of adrenaline, sustained overwhelm is incredibly draining. Over time, it erodes your capacity to focus and perform, leading to burnout.
• Multitasking. We often think we’re being efficient by juggling multiple tasks, but research shows the opposite is true. Multitasking leads to more mistakes, slower completion times, and significantly higher energy expenditure. Our brains are simply not wired to do multiple things effectively at once.
• Over-scheduling family activities. For parents especially, the desire to provide enriching experiences for children can lead to a packed schedule of extracurriculars and social events. While well-intentioned, this can leave little room for rest and regeneration, turning home life into another source of exhaustion.
• Over-committing to too many things. Many of us struggle with saying no, wanting to be helpful or fearing we’ll miss out. But every new obligation, no matter how small, takes a little bit of energy away. It’s like a thousand tiny cuts.
• Constantly doing things you’re not good at or have no desire to get good at. Learning can be energizing, but if you’re always stuck doing tasks that don’t align with your strengths or interests, it’s a huge energy drain. Sometimes you have to roll up your sleeves and help out, but if it’s a constant state, it’ll eat away at your energy.

For me, multitasking is the big one. I’m usually good at focusing on one thing, but later in the day, when I’ve tackled my most important work, I sometimes fall into the trap of trying to do too many things at once. Research shows multitasking makes you slower, leads to more mistakes, and burns way more energy. Our brains just aren’t built for it.

Limiting Beliefs That Sabotage Your Energy

Sometimes, we unknowingly hold beliefs that prevent us from addressing our energy issues. It’s like having a flat tire but convincing yourself the car is fine.

• “I’m sleeping enough.” You might think you’re getting seven hours of sleep, but are you really? Many of us go to bed, then spend an hour on our phone, exposing ourselves to blue light that messes with our sleep. When you actually track your sleep, you might be surprised to find you’re getting far less quality rest than you think. I used to think I was an amazing sleeper, but my smartwatch showed me otherwise. It’s a game-changer to see the real data.
• “I’m a night owl.” A lot of people say they do their best work late at night. And for some, that might be true. But if you’re propping yourself up with coffee or energy drinks to stay awake, you’re just borrowing energy from tomorrow. Eventually, you have to pay that back. If you need a quiet environment to do your best work, there are other ways to create that without sacrificing your sleep.
• “I lack motivation.” Motivation isn’t some magical force you either have or don’t. It’s a form of energy. If you’re not motivated, it’s often because your goals don’t excite you. If the “juice isn’t worth the squeeze,” you won’t feel that internal drive. Reframe your goals, make them exciting, and you’ll find that motivation kicks in. It’s a goal problem, not a willpower problem.
• “I just don’t have the willpower.” This is another common excuse. Willpower isn’t a finite resource that runs out. It’s deeply connected to your energy and motivation. If your goals are exciting and you have enough energy, willpower becomes less of an issue. Don’t let this be an excuse to procrastinate. You’re better than that.

Your Energy Action Item

Energy is a crucial currency for productivity. It’s part of our T-framework: Time, Energy, and Attention. When all three are aligned, you’re unstoppable. But if one is missing, you’re playing catch-up.

So, here’s your action item for today: On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate your energy? 10 means you’re super energetic, ready to conquer anything. 1 means you just want to stay in bed and procrastinate. Be honest with yourself.

If your score isn’t a 9 or 10, there’s work to do. Start by identifying what’s robbing you of energy and what could give you more. In our next episode, we’ll dive into specific strategies to boost your energy to that 9 or 10. Imagine waking up every day feeling energized, motivated, and ready to win. That’s a life everyone can experience.

Ever try to get anything done these days and realize that no one seems to pay attention to emails anymore?

You send a message. No answer. You send a follow-up. No answer. And then your mind slowly starts to unravel…

Did I type the email address wrong? Nope. Is my internet connection down? Nope. Is this “The Sixth Sense” and I’m Bruce Willis? Nope.

But on another level, you totally understand because sometimes you dread checking email too. We live in the wreckage of the attention economy. You open your inbox the way you crack the door to a room where you trapped a bat. Why? Because it’s a chaotic public square where strangers attempt to relocate their problems into your afternoon.

Unread emails are Schrödinger’s tasks: as long as they remain unopened, the request inside them exists in an indeterminate state: kinda real, kinda not. Opening them collapses the waveform, and now you feel obligated. (I keep a folder in my inbox called “Later,” which is like naming a cemetery “Eventually.”)

But, at times, we still need people to respond. Feels like we’re stuck.

Well, before you start using a process server, let’s talk about sales pitches for a second. Yeah, sales pitches:

“HUGE SAVINGS! TODAY ONLY!!”

Despite these emails making you want to slam your head into your keyboard, they’re also pretty effective. (Every time you think, “Ugh, no one reads that,” a marketer somewhere is laughing their way to the bank.) These sales tactics understand the human psyche better than your overpriced therapist.

So, like it or not, we can learn a thing or two from them. Ethically. We don’t want to come off as hucksters, but we can definitely steal their tactics and use them for good, whether it’s crafting work emails or just convincing your friend to finally RSVP…

We’ve had hostage negotiators teach us how to lower our bills and bomb disposal experts explain the secrets to staying calm under pressure. Now it’s time to learn about persuasive writing from copywriters.

The book we’ll be drawing on this time is “The Copywriting Sourcebook” by Andy Maslen.

Let’s get to it…

Appeal To Self-Interest

Stop thinking about how you benefit from sending the email and start thinking about how the reader benefits from receiving it. If you want to write persuasively, you need to start with a clear appeal to the reader’s self-interest. Forget this and a response to your email will be postponed to Neveruary.

Ask yourself: “Why should they care?”

And then answer it immediately. Up top. First line. The point is, get to the point. Remember “The Princess Bride”? He didn’t say, “Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya, a long time ago when I was a young boy…”

No. He said, “Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya, you killed my father. Prepare to die.”

You might think “appeal to the reader’s interest” is manipulative. It’s not. It’s the rent you pay to live in someone else’s head. Manipulation is when I make you do what benefits me while pretending it benefits you. Persuasion is when I show you how what benefits me might also benefit you.

(To learn how FBI hostage negotiators persuade people, click here.)

When’s the single most important time to be persuasive?

Before they ever open the email…

Use A Good Subject Line

Even if you’ve composed a message that has the rhetorical force of a Supreme Court brief, if they don’t open the email, it doesn’t matter. And your subject line is the only thing that can convince them to open it.

Ogilvy & Mather tested subject lines for effectiveness. All the best ones fell into three categories:

1. Those offering a benefit.
2. Those promising news.
3. Those arousing curiosity.

A combination of all three was the most effective of all.

It’s not that hard to write better subject lines… mostly because the bar is incredibly low. Think about what you see on a typical day:

“Newsletter #37.” Oh, thrilling. Can’t wait to not open that for the 37th time in a row.

“Current status of deliverables.” AI sounds more human than that. Send me a subject line like that and I’m going to ask you which of these images has a bus in it.

Most people just describe the contents of their email as if that’s enough. That’s not writing; that’s labeling. Imagine a movie trailer that just said, “Runtime: 1 hour 42 minutes. Contains actors.” That’s your average email subject line.

“Q2 performance metrics attached.” Congratulations, you’ve written a suicide note for your own message. You know what people actually open? “How we quietly outperformed everyone last quarter.” Same data, but now it’s gossip. Now it’s a story. Now it’s alive.

Of course, there are limits. Curiosity beats clarity until curiosity becomes a lie, at which point your reader marks you as an enemy combatant. Don’t mislead. But you’ll get more replies at the office with “How we can close the Johnson deal” and more replies from your teenagers with “Do this and you can use the car Friday night.”

(To learn about how to use neuroscience to persuade people, click here.)

But what style should you write in?

Be Human

Ease up on the formal language. It’s an email, not a court summons. You can relax. You can say “Hi.” You can even use contractions. Good copywriters sound as though they’re sitting across from you in a diner, telling you something funny between bites of a sandwich.

Yes, I know, work emails require a level of professionalism. Sure. But that doesn’t mean you need to write in a way guaranteed to make people’s eyes glaze over. “Our groundbreaking app provides users with cutting-edge, comprehensive tools to enhance workplace synergy.” Ugh, pass me the noose. Seriously, who talks like this? I’ll tell you who doesn’t: your friends. If your friends talked to you like that, you’d start looking for new friends.

Now “conversational” doesn’t mean performatively chummy. It means sentences with blood pressure. The courage to write the way you talk. The alternative is that bureaucratic gel we’ve all learned to excrete, language so denatured you can practically see the HR guidelines.

And skip the cliches, unless you want to sound like that guy who’s still quoting “Anchorman” like it’s 2004. No jargon. And don’t get me started on “circle back.” This phrase makes me want to run in squares out of sheer defiance. “Touch base.” “In alignment.” You could replace half your corporate vocabulary with barnyard noises and nobody would notice. People are moved by warmth, by clarity, by the sense that there’s an actual person behind the words.

Keep in mind that when most people are confronted with a piece of writing, they don’t start by reading it. No. They’re asking themselves one vital question: “Is this going to be easy to read?

So keep paragraphs short. You know what they’re thinking if they see one massive wall of text? Unabomber manifesto. Aim to stay under five lines per paragraph.

Similarly, short sentences are your friends. They’re punchy. They’re the difference between “I have a dream” and “I have a profoundly intricate vision of an equitable future where the systemic inequalities that have plagued our society are finally addressed in a meaningful and comprehensive manner.” One is a tranquil walk through the park. The other is a panic attack in sentence form.

Every once in a while, I’ll get an email from someone that starts with something like, “I have no idea how to say this without sounding like an idiot, but…” and I feel my shoulders unclench. There’s relief in that, in knowing someone’s dropped the mask for a second. So yes, write like you’re talking to a friend. Be the email that makes someone smile instead of groan.

(To learn about persuasion from leading expert Robert Cialdini, click here.)

So how do copywriters ask people to do things?

Have A “Call To Action”

If you want people to do something, ask them. Directly.

Don’t hover around the point like a middle schooler trying to ask someone to the dance. Every copywriter learns this in the first week. They call it the “call to action,” which sounds like something the Navy would shout before launching a boat, but it just means: tell the person what to do next and by when. People do what you make easy, obvious, and immediate.

Do not be afraid to give a deadline. The human brain treats “by Friday 5 p.m.” like a parking spot: clear, bounded, usable. Also, if the action has consequences, state them. “If we miss Tuesday, the launch moves to next week.”

And by all means, don’t just end your email with “Let me know what you think.” That’s vague. Instead, try “Can you send me your feedback by Wednesday so we can move forward?” or “RSVP by Friday or risk me showing up at your house with sadness in my eyes.”

Keep it singular, too. One email, one action. One. Your email shouldn’t read like a choose-your-own-adventure for people who hate adventures.

None of this is bossy or rude. A clear call to action is a favor. It reduces cognitive load. It says, “I did the hard thinking so you can just reply ‘yes’ and move on with your day.” Copywriters assume you are scrolling at a red light, eating a pretzel, late for a meeting, while reading about Taylor Swift realigning GDP with her latest tour. So they give you one verb, one link, and one deadline. You call it pushy; the reader’s prefrontal cortex calls it merciful.

(To learn how to improve your writing from the screenwriter of the film “SEVEN” click here.)

Okay, we’ve covered a lot. Let’s round it all up and learn the simple trick copywriters swear will get people to read at least part of your message…

Sum Up

Here’s how to write persuasively…

• Appeal To Self-Interest: Whether it’s your boss, a coworker, or that flaky friend, you’ve got to spell out how this benefits them. “If we finish this project early, we can avoid staying late on Friday” or “Come to my party: there will be pizza and I won’t make you talk to anyone you don’t like.”
• Use A Good Subject Line: Stop sending “Newsletter for October.” No one’s opening that. Try something like “How we can finish this project 3 days early.”
• Be Human: “Our product is a revolutionary amalgamation of cutting-edge technology and unparalleled innovation.” Stop. Go to your room and think about what you’ve done.
• Have A “Call To Action”: Even spam emails tell you, in no uncertain terms, “Click here for eternal joy and to protect your bank details from space demons.” You know exactly what they want from you. They’re not coy.

The sad state of affairs: no one is reading your message. They’re skimming it.

But if there’s a P.S.?

Oh, they read the heck out of that.

Everyone reads the PS. Why? It’s where the writer breaks character and levels with you: “Look, I know that was a swamp of words. Here’s the thing you came for.” The P.S. is where the anxious social niceties of paragraph one go to die, and where the ritual throat-clearing of paragraph two is gently euthanized. It’s where the author steps out from behind the prose like a waiter leaning in to say, “If you want the only dish people come here for, order the stew.”

If you want people to act, say the thing where they’ll see it. Tell your reader why it matters, throw in a deadline, give them one last nudge toward doing the thing you’ve spent the last three paragraphs making a case for: “PS: Please send the draft by 5PM. It’ll make sure the boss doesn’t get angry with us.”

And this isn’t just for business emails. The PS can be “I miss you.” “I’m sorry.” “Please call.” The P.S. is a tiny confessional, a place where we drop the performance and just say the thing.

At the most basic level, all these techniques are just good manners. Tell them why they might care. Be friendly. Ask for one thing and make it easy. No one owes us attention. When we treat it like a favor instead of tribute, people treat us like humans instead of interruptions. The best communication isn’t about transaction; it’s about connection.

A while ago, during a period when my life was unraveling, a friend sent a message with no subject line and two sentences: “I’m coming over. I’m bringing soup.”

It was not persuasive copy. There was no CTA. It was, however, perfect communication, unmistakable in both intent and affection. For years, I’ve kept that email in a folder I creatively labeled “Keep.”

So yes: study the mechanics. Practice the sharp, simple truths that good copywriters teach. Use them for good. Learn the tricks, sure.

But keep the part of you that knows when to shut up and bring soup.

PS: I told you people always read it.

Many young men today quietly battle depression, loneliness, and a sense of confusion about who they’re meant to be.

Some blame the lack of deep friendships or romantic relationships. Others feel lost in a digital world that often labels traditional masculinity as “toxic.”

But the truth is this: becoming a man in the modern age takes more than just surviving. It takes resilience, direction, and a willingness to grow even when no one’s watching.

Success doesn’t arrive by accident or luck. It’s built on discipline, sacrifice, and consistency.

Here are 9 harsh truths every young man should know if he wants to thrive, not just survive, in the digital age.

1. Never Use Your Illness as an Excuse

As Dr. Jordan B. Peterson often says, successful people don’t complain; they act.

Your illness, hardship, or struggle shouldn’t define your limits; it should define your motivation. Rest when you must, but always get back up and keep building your dreams. Motivation doesn’t appear magically. It comes after you take action.

Here are five key lessons I’ve learned from Dr. Peterson:

• Learn to write clearly; clarity of thought makes you dangerous.

• Read quality literature in your free time.

• Nurture a strong relationship with your family.

• Share your ideas publicly; your voice matters.

• Become a “monster”, powerful, but disciplined enough to control it.

The best leaders and thinkers are grounded. They welcome criticism, adapt quickly, and keep moving forward no matter what.

2. You Can’t Please Everyone And That’s Okay

You don’t need a crowd of people to feel fulfilled. You need a few friends who genuinely accept you for who you are.

If your circle doesn’t bring out your best, it’s okay to walk away. Solitude can be a powerful teacher. It gives you space to understand what you truly want from life. Remember, successful men aren’t people-pleasers; they’re purpose-driven.

3. You Can Control the Process, Not the Outcome

Especially in creative work, writing, business, or content creation, you control effort, not results.

You might publish two articles a day, but you can’t dictate which one will go viral. Focus on mastery, not metrics. Many great writers toiled for years in obscurity before anyone noticed them. Rejection, criticism, and indifference are all part of the path.

The best creators focus on storytelling, not applause.

4. Rejection Is Never Personal

Rejection doesn’t mean you’re unworthy. It simply means your offer, idea, or timing didn’t align.

Every successful person has faced rejection repeatedly. What separates them is persistence and perspective. They see rejection as feedback, not failure. The faster you learn that truth, the faster you’ll grow.

5. Women Value Comfort and Security

Understanding women requires maturity and empathy.

Through books, lectures, and personal growth, I’ve learned that most women desire a man who is grounded, intelligent, confident, emotionally stable, and consistent. Some want humor, others intellect, but nearly all want to feel safe and supported.

Instead of chasing attention, work on self-improvement. Build competence and confidence, and the rest will follow naturally.

6. There’s No Such Thing as Failure, Only Lessons

A powerful lesson from Neuro-Linguistic Programming: failure only exists when you stop trying.

Every mistake brings data. Every setback builds wisdom. The most successful men aren’t fearless. They’ve simply learned to act despite fear.

Be proud of your scars. They’re proof you were brave enough to try.

7. Public Speaking Is an Art Form

Public speaking is one of the most valuable and underrated skills a man can master.

It’s not about perfection; it’s about connection. The best speakers tell stories, inspire confidence, and make people feel seen. They research deeply, speak honestly, and practice relentlessly.

If you can speak well, you can lead, sell, teach, and inspire. Start small, practice at work, in class, or even in front of a mirror, and watch your confidence skyrocket.

8. Teaching Is Leadership in Disguise

Great teachers are not just knowledgeable. They’re brave, compassionate, and disciplined.

Teaching forces you to articulate what you know, and in doing so, you master it at a deeper level. Whether you’re mentoring a peer, leading a team, or sharing insights online, teaching refines your purpose.

Lifelong learners become lifelong leaders.

9. Study Human Nature to Achieve Your Dreams

One of the toughest lessons to accept: most people are self-interested.

That’s not cynicism, it’s human nature. Understanding this helps you navigate relationships, business, and communication more effectively.

Everyone has a darker side, but successful people learn to channel theirs productively into discipline, creativity, and drive.

Psychology isn’t just theory; it’s a toolkit. Learn how people think, act, and decide, and you’ll know how to lead them, influence them, and even understand yourself better.

Final Thoughts

The digital age offers endless opportunities, but only to those who are willing to take responsibility, confront discomfort, and keep improving.

Becoming a man today means embracing the hard truths most avoid.

Because at the end of the day, success isn’t about luck. It’s about who you become when life tests you the most.

Welcome to Ask Coach Tony!

These are unfiltered field notes from the goal-crushing life: coaching wins, personal breakthroughs, and the failures that taught both me and my clients the most.

All real, all useful, all here to help you move forward.

Ready for a dad joke?
Consider this a lighthearted amuse-bouche for your brain before we get serious. Sure, it might be groan-worthy—but hey, at least you’re getting your money’s worth, right? 😆
Three moles are crawling in a tunnel. 
The first mole sticks his nose in the air and says, "I smell sugar." 
The second says, "I think it smells more like honey." 
The third says, "All I smell from back here is molasses."

You’re Already “Ready” Enough

Happy November…

The weather has turned, the holidays are on the horizon, and New Year’s is already whispering that familiar pressure:
“Shouldn’t you be further along by now?”

This is the season of big reflections and even bigger resolutions. It’s the time of year when we start eyeing 2026 and wondering what needs to change. That means we are about to start telling ourselves we just need a little more time. A little more prep. Just one more thing.

But here’s the truth that nobody talks about:

“I don’t think I’m ready yet” is the fastest way to stay stuck.

This month on the Operation Melt blog, we’re flipping that script.
Because one mindset has the power to unlock everything you’ve been putting off:

Don’t wait to be ready. Figure it out as you go.

Readiness is a myth.
Momentum is what actually creates clarity.
And taking one messy step today will get you further than six more months of waiting for the perfect plan.

Let’s stop trying to predict every move.
Let’s stop obsessing over being fully prepared.
Let’s start. Let’s adapt. Let’s learn by doing.

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Most Goals Die the Same Way. Here’s How to Keep Yours Alive.

I’m a big fan of Brene Brown’s summary of Theodore Roosevelt’s Man in the Arena speech about criticism. As is her way, she boils this famous speech down into a single poignant quote.

“If you are not in the arena also getting your ass kicked, I’m not interested in your feedback.”

There is an important lesson here about THE must-have choice for goal success. This same choice is what my Operation Melt vision is all about: building a world where goals don’t die of loneliness.

Because that’s what happens when you don’t try.

The goal languishes inside of you, lonely and begging for attention. Eventually, it fades away. Not because you failed, but because you never gave it a chance.

Goals don’t die from failure. They die from inaction.
They die by choice.

The Goal-Crusher’s Choice

Succeeding with your goals and making your dreams come true begins with one choice.
You have to choose to try.

That’s it.
No complicated process. No checklist.
No “five steps to change your life.”
Just make the choice to try.
It’s simple, and It works!

Even if it’s scary. Even if you don’t feel ready. Even if you might fail.

Your dreams deserve that attention.

Now It’s Your Turn to Build

We all have things we want to accomplish in life. Sometimes those are things we have never even said out loud. Whatever those dreams and goals are, they will simply die of loneliness unless we choose to do something about them.

Once you make the choice to try, you are making a choice to make your dreams come true.

Then you need a system to help you turn that choice into a goal you’ve crushed.

That is why I created Project Manage Your Life (PMYL). It is a system that helps you commit to meaningful goals, build a realistic plan that fits your life, and keep momentum until the work is done.

PMYL brings together everything I use with my coaching clients and packages it into three connected tools:

📘 Project Manage Your Life teaches the complete six-step PMYL framework for turning goals into accomplishments

📝 PMYL Workbook helps you apply the framework with exercises, templates, and coaching prompts.

🎯 PMYL Coaching provides accountability, clarity, and one-on-one guidance to keep you moving.

The best way to begin is with the PMYL Starter Kit. It bundles the book, the workbook, and a guided mini course so you can start writing your next chapter today.

Not quite ready for the full kit? You can still grab the free PMYL eBook and start learning the framework today.

💥 Remember that the winners in life are chosen from the playing field and not the sidelines. Nothing happens without a decision to try.

✨ I believe in you. Let me help YOU believe in you!

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Meet Coach Tony

Tony Weaver is a master life coach, technologist, consultant, writer, and founder of Operation Melt.

He helps project managers and other left-brained high-achievers pursue their biggest goals.

Through free resources, personalized coaching, and his proven Project Manage Your Life system, Tony empowers clients to move their dreams from “someday” to success… one step at a time.

Learn more about Project Manage Your Life, the system my clients and I use to crush our goals, at OperationMelt.com/PMYL/

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