The Rundown

• Lost in the Zone: How Flow Supercharges Your Brain

• Google: We're Testing Changes To AI Mode To Encourage Clicks

• I added my daily journal in NotebookLM and the results were wild

• I finally found the perfect knowledge management app after years of switching back and forth

• AI isn't a job killer, it's a job shifter. We're one of the biggest employment agencies in the world and we can see where things are moving

👉Did you miss an issue? Check out previous Productivity Stacks issues anytime here

🔥Quote/Prompt

Use the quote as a writing or thinking prompt to finish your week strong.

A bit from mine:

(posted in our Doer Entrepreneurs Free Community — off social media)

Did someone forward this to you?

📈 Performance

Lost in the Zone: How Flow Supercharges Your Brain

Why is it some days you can't focus for five minutes and others hours disappear without you noticing? There's actual brain science behind why some days you're Sam (scattered and stuck) and others you're Chloe (nine pages done before you know it). This Psychology Today piece breaks down exactly what's happening in your brain during flow state and, more importantly, how to trigger it on demand.

Key Insights:

1. Flow happens when your prefrontal cortex (your inner critic) actually shuts down through "transient hypofrontality," which is why you stop second-guessing everything and just create.

2. The difference between scattered work and flow isn't willpower—it's brain chemistry. Flow produces steady dopamine release instead of the spiky hits you get from checking notifications.

3. You can train your brain to enter flow more reliably by creating rituals that signal focus time, such as making tea, using a specific playlist, or doing a short mindfulness exercise before starting work.

4. Flow typically kicks in after 20-40 minutes of struggle, so that initial resistance isn't failure—it's just the warm-up phase your brain needs before the good stuff happens.

5. Separating drafting from editing is crucial for flow. Writing a "shitty first draft" without stopping to polish keeps your prefrontal cortex quiet and maintains momentum.

Read the full article for specific brain chemicals involved in flow (including the "bliss molecule"), detailed comparisons of Sam and Chloe's work sessions, and a complete breakdown of practical strategies to achieve flow state.

⚙️ Optimization

Google: We're Testing Changes To AI Mode To Encourage Clicks

Google's AI Mode has been eating publishers' traffic for breakfast, but they're finally testing changes to actually send some clicks back to websites. Robby Stein from Google announced they're experimenting with "how and where to show links in ways that are most helpful to users and sites" — which, let's be honest, is code for "we realized we need to throw publishers a bone before they revolt." As Nicole put it in the comments on this article, “Google taketh away… and Google maybe-kind-of-giveth back.” Let’s dive in.

Key Insights:

1. Embedded link carousels are rolling out in AI Mode responses, first on desktop and then mobile, giving your content more visibility opportunities within AI-generated answers.

2. Google is training their AI model to better predict when users want to click through to source material, which means strategically structured content that answers follow-up questions could get more traffic.

3. The Web Guide feature is expanding from just the "Web" tab to the main "All" tab for opted-in users, creating another pathway for your content to surface even on complex queries.

4. Inline links embedded directly within AI text are getting priority because users click them more often when they have context about what they're clicking.

5. These changes will fluctuate over the coming weeks as they roll out, so expect your traffic patterns from Google to be unpredictable while they test different approaches.

Read the full article for screenshots of the different link formats being tested, community reactions from publishers, and details on how to opt into the Web Guide experiment.

⏲️ Time Management

I added my daily journal in NotebookLM and the results were wild

We all know journaling helps track where our time goes, but reading through months of entries to spot patterns is where most of us give up. This brilliant hack uses Google's NotebookLM to turn your journal into an AI-powered time audit that actually shows you where your priorities and your schedule clash. No more wondering why you're exhausted but unproductive - just upload your entries and ask.

Key Insights:

1. You can upload your existing journal entries directly as Markdown files or even audio recordings, and NotebookLM will process them all into a searchable knowledge base of your own patterns.

2. Instead of manually reviewing entries, you can ask specific questions like "Are there any correlations between my sleep quality and my mood the following day?" to instantly spot time-wasting triggers.

3. Every AI response includes citations linking back to your original entries, so you can verify insights and see exactly when and why you wrote something.

4. The platform supports up to 300 sources, meaning you could analyze an entire year of daily entries to identify long-term patterns in how you spend versus how you want to spend your time.

5. Audio journaling works too - NotebookLM automatically transcribes MP3 files, perfect for those who prefer talking through their day during commutes or walks.

Read the full article for the complete Obsidian journaling setup, specific template headers to use, and example queries that reveal hidden time management patterns.

💻 Tools & Technology

I finally found the perfect knowledge management app after years of switching back and forth

If you're juggling multiple tools to run your business – one for notes, another for tasks, maybe a third for project management -- this might be the consolidation you've been looking for. After testing every knowledge management app out there (Roam, Obsidian, Notion, you name it), this writer found Anytype solves the biggest pain point: having everything in one place that actually works on mobile.

Key Insights:

1. Built-in task management means you can link tasks directly to meeting notes, project plans, or client research without switching between apps or using clunky workarounds.

2. Unlike Notion and Obsidian which feel stripped-down on mobile, Anytype's native mobile apps are fully functional with smooth animations, making it practical for capturing ideas on the go.

3. Local-first storage with P2P sync means your data stays on your devices with on-device encryption, crucial if you're storing client information or sensitive business data.

4. The widget dashboard lets you create custom views of today's tasks, recent journal entries, and project statuses all on one screen for a complete business overview.

5. Open-source codebase means no hidden data collection or surprise policy changes that could affect your business operations down the road.

Read the full article for details on the object-oriented system, specific template examples, comparisons with other PKM tools, and warnings about the learning curve.

🤖 AI

AI isn't a job killer, it's a job shifter. We're one of the biggest employment agencies in the world and we can see where things are moving

We keep hearing AI will either save us all or destroy every job on the planet. But ManpowerGroup, one of the world's largest employment agencies with 70 years of workforce data, sees something different happening: AI is changing jobs, not eliminating them. Their research shows that companies who fired everyone to "let AI handle it" are now scrambling to rehire because, surprise, automated tasks still need human judgment.

Key Insights:

1. Seven out of 20 job categories are actually seeing increased demand for AI skills in job postings, particularly in IT, finance, and customer service roles.

2. Companies that rushed to replace workers with AI are now rehiring those same employees after discovering how many "automated" tasks still require human intervention and discernment.

3. The most productive workers build AI skills through hands-on experience at work rather than external courses, with 47% of employers using AI tools for hiring, training, and onboarding.

4. Entry-level hiring for AI roles is being neglected as companies chase senior talent, creating a future talent crisis since younger workers need time to build expertise as AI evolves.

5. Soft skills like critical thinking and interpersonal abilities are becoming more valuable, not less, because someone needs to teach AI our values and evaluate its outputs in human context.

Read the full article for ManpowerGroup's 3D framework for AI implementation (DO, DISCOVER, DISRUPT) and specific statistics on workforce disruption predictions through 2030.🎉 Celebration Corner

Every week Doers Inner Circle members do a weekly review & get help when they need it — check out the progress they made this week!

• Time profit sprint completed, and my daily scheduling/buckets/time-blocking are going a lot better already as a result.

• Monthly goals tracking well.

What did you do this week? We feature non-member successes too. Just post them here!

🔒Inner Circle: Events & Announcements

• Special Event: It’s almost bash time. Join our The 90-day Planning Formula Bash Kickoff Party  RSVP here

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• Monday: {EU Time} Work ON Business. Theme: 5️⃣ Finances  RSVP here

• Tuesday: Work ON Business. Theme: 5️⃣ Finances RSVP here

• Monday/Friday: Goal Setting + Plan Your Week Party

• Accelerators: September 12 is your Office Hours  RSVP here

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Wishing you much productivity!

- Jenae :)