🍀 Don’t waste more time on self-help for god sake!

Hey there, it's Manav! Welcome to Early Adopters, my personal newsletter.

✨ Every Monday, I'll be sharing my thoughts on productivity, life lessons, and helpful tips, all based on what I've learned throughout the week.

This weekly newsletter is my way of reflecting on life and keeping track of the fascinating things I discover or come to understand. It's also a promise to myself and all of you to stay mindful and curious and engaged with life's many lessons.

Each issue will dive into specific topics, and I'll be sure to add my own spin to them. So, grab a cup of joe and get ready for some weekly wisdom!

10 PRODUCTIVITY HACKS YOU NEED TO KNOW UNTIL YOU DIE:

It’s safe to say, I have watched thousands of videos and read hundreds of books on productivity and self-help.

I decided to summarise the same repetitive advice given by every productivity joe-schmoe in 10 tips you need to remember forever until you die.

But first, The secret to productivity is as simple as:

• understanding that your mind loves to trick you into choosing easy tasks over more challenging ones. It’s like watching what you eat, you have to continuously monitor it.

• adding a sense of urgency to the tasks.

I would suggest taking notes and pasting these techniques somewhere on the wall next to where you work to remind yourself.

• Pomodoro Technique: Work for 25 min on a single task with no distractions, and rest for 5 minutes. Work in focused intervals followed by a short break. This can help maintain concentration and prevent burnout. Don’t use your phone for a timer, instead use a physical timer clock to not get distracted by notifications.

• 2-minute rule: Complete Tasks under 2 mins immediately. If a task takes less than two minutes to complete, do it immediately. Don’t have a to-do list with meaningless tasks like doing laundry etc. This can be done in your spare time. Only write 3-4 high-level tasks on paper and scratch them after you complete them.

• Pareto Principle: This principle states that 80% of consequences come from 20% of causes. Focus on the top 20% of tasks that will bring 80% of the results.

  Write down the three high-level tasks you need to do. For example: in my case it would be research, writing the script, and filming.

• Eat the Frog: "Eat the Frog" comes from a quote by Mark Twain: "Eat a live frog first thing in the morning and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day. Tackle the hardest task first thing in the morning. If you’re like me, the first 4 hours of your day are the highest cognition/. Know when you have the best focus throughout the day and use caffeine strategically.

Don’t waste your caffeine energy boost on mindless activities like reading emails or admin tasks.

Instead, save it for important tasks requiring an extra oomph of focus and creativity—like important writing sessions, presentations, client calls, etc.

• Time Blocking: This means setting aside specific times each day for different tasks. Mark your calendar with specific tasks you need to accomplish at what time on what day

• Batching: Group similar tasks and tackle them collectively, which means no multitasking. Here’s a quote “To do two things at once is to do neither” - Publius Syrus. Grouping similar tasks together can help you maintain focus and increase efficiency. For example, dedicate specific times to answering emails or processing paperwork. For example: Check email once a day in a certain time frame.

   

• Parkinson’s law: Parkinson's Law is a simple idea that the more time you have to do something, the longer it takes to get it done. Set shorter deadlines to prevent the expansion of work. For example: For my newsletter, I set up a 90 min timer, and I have to complete the newsletter within the time frame and I noticed it usually makes me write much faster.

• Eisenhower Matrix: Prioritize tasks by urgency and importance. This matrix helps you prioritize tasks based on urgency and importance. The key here is to eliminate unimportant tasks and figure out what are the most important tasks.

• Simplify your life: Stick to using simple apps like the Notes app, and avoid downloading too many apps to manage. Unsubscribe from unnecessary emails and remove any clutter in your life, whether it's on your computer, phone, or in your home.

• Eliminate distractions: Significantly cut down your screen time. Take a moment to examine your iPhone's screen time statistics. If you average 4 hours daily, that amounts to 1460 hours a year, equivalent to 2 months spent on your phone. Considering we sleep for 4 months, only 6 months remain for other activities. I use an app on my iPhone that blocks all social media apps for about 17-18 hours each day. This method proves effective, as most of us lack self-control or find these apps too addictive.

• Delegate and outsource: Identify tasks that can be delegated to others or outsourced to professionals. This frees up your time to focus on high-priority tasks and activities that align with your skills and strengths.

💀 CHALLENGES  

Our startup is on the verge of dying as we are not able to raise a seed round for our startup.

We find ourselves caught in a classic dilemma: we need capital to develop a working prototype, but investors require a prototype to commit their funds.

(Classic chicken & egg problem)

Compounding the issue, the investment landscape is shifting towards generative AI tools, diverting attention and resources away from traditional media and entertainment projects like ours.

The upcoming months will reveal the eventual outcome and direction of our startup.

FAVORITE FINDS

🎥 Movies - The Circle {2017}

This film, which delves into a dystopian tale of the world's most influential tech company attempting to dominate the largest democracy, may be uneasy to some viewers.

As the protagonist (Emma Watson) unravels the hidden motives, you may encounter elements that don't quite add up, so approach it with a healthy dose of skepticism.

Treat the movie as an educational experience rather than a portrayal of reality.

📱 Tech - Pomodoro Timer

Pomodoro timer for your desk to practice the technique and improve your focus.

Podcast 🖼️  Andrew Carnegie by Founders Podcast

Insights from the episode:

• Put all your eggs in one basket and watch that basket.

• The most expensive way to pay for anything is with time.

• The men who have succeeded are men who have chosen one line and stuck to it. It is surprising how few men appreciate the enormous dividends derivable from investment in their own business.

• My advice to young men would be not only to concentrate their whole time and attention on the one business in life in which they engage but to put every dollar of their capital into it.

• What these guys all had in common is they were hell-bent on knowing their business down to the last cent. They were obsessed with having the lowest cost structure in their industry.