In my last email, I shared an actionable guide on how you can outsource the work of your side projects. Did you find it useful?
If you missed that email, I would highly recommend checking that out by just searching it through search bar.
But even after outsourcing your work, are you still unable to get some time for yourself?
I am extremely busy ⚠
I have no time ⏳
- I log in early and log out late every day.
- I attend at least 4 meetings every single day in my office.
- I have at least 5 big tasks on my to-do list every single day.
- I am an excellent planner and my notebook has 20+ business ideas with all the details about them.
- It took me 30 days to launch my last landing page but I am glad that it was designed so perfectly.
- I am reading every news article, commenting on all social posts, actively participating in communities, and doing everything to network.
- I reply to every email and message as soon as it arrives in my inbox immediately.
- I have at least 10 tabs open on my browser at all times and I am pro-multitasker.
- I am always learning new skills and taking online courses.
- I volunteer for every project and assignment that comes my way.
- I always have a podcast or an audiobook playing in the background while doing my tasks.
Do you think I shared your story at least once in these examples?
I have a piece of bad news for you 🙊
You are just busy, and not productive.
I was once influenced by the hustle-culture of these internet gurus where I believed that just being busy is the key to success.
I didn’t take proper sleep. Missed many personal events. Skipped giving time to important people. Tried reading books while moving in trains and so on.
I quickly realized that this was no hustle. It was a fast track to burnout.
Remember to aim for marathon, not a sprint.
TODAY’S ACTION ITEM FOR YOU
To be honest, I don’t have one single action item today. Because this depends a lot on person-to-person. But I can share a few action items.
- Remove clutter from everywhere – Uninstall unused apps, turn off notifications for apps, keep 3-4 most frequently apps on the home screen, no need to keep everything on the work desk, and so on.
- No more than 3 big tasks on to-do list at a time – I have a prioritization technique for myself but this is the most simple thing I can say. No new task will get added unless these 3 are cleared. If something urgent comes up, 1 of the existing has to back off.
- Eliminating the belief that the number of hours directly implies higher output – If someone is hitting targets within 3-4 hours against a team member slogging for 12 hours a day, the former team member is anytime better in my opinion.
- Multitasking is a myth – Human brain cannot switch between multiple things at the same time. Those who feel they can, are extremely disorganized and unstable. We can efficiently do multiple things at multiple times though.
- Keep a diary – I always have a diary with me to note things down whenever I feel an urge to do something at that time. It helps me forget that task for a while and lets me focus on ongoing task.
Are you following any of these techniques already? Let me know the results and I might give you a shoutout 🤗
WHAT I DID THIS WEEK
This week started with some nice rains making the whole environment cool and comfortable amid the scorching heat.
For office, phew! Contrary to the main topic of this email, I was super glued with lots of feedback meetings with my team members and plannings for Q2 – just quarter-end stuff!
I do enjoy meeting my team members though. These quarterly feedbacks give a reason to connect with them personally and know their whereabouts.
If you are a team manager, how do you connect with your team? OR how frequently do you meet your manager or senior?
BOOK I AM CURRENTLY READING
I completed Ruskin Bond’s “A Murder in Mussoorie and Other Tales” where he compiled all his stories that he wrote about Mussoorie. I enjoy his stories from Mussoorie and hills to an extent that it tempts me to pack my bags and settle down in some hilly region of the Himalayas.
I started “One Minute Manager” this week and I am already loving it. I will share its review in my next week’s email.
AROUND THE WEB THIS WEEK
Did you explore Bing Create this week? Just install Edge browser and log in to the Bing search engine. It has just introduced an AI-based text-to-image generator.
I am playing around with it for a while. Whatever we tell, it generates an image. Feels like a 2D version of Shaka-Laka-Boom-Boom!
Umm… was that a vague metaphor? Anyway, happy weekend 🙂