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- Issue No. 134: Reclaiming Time: Why Women Should Challenge the Productivity Industry
Issue No. 134: Reclaiming Time: Why Women Should Challenge the Productivity Industry
7 experimental Google AI projects you can try right now
Jenae Spry
November 29, 2024
Productivity Express
Issue No. 134
The Best in Evidenced-Based Productivity
for Small Business Owners, Freelancers & Founders
Helping You Work Smarter and Live More
The Rundown
Reclaiming Time: Why Women Should Challenge the Productivity Industry
Marketing To Gen Z In 2024: Seven Undeniable Truths For Brand Leaders
Creating a sustainable work/life balance: Overwhelm and time-management
7 experimental Google AI projects you can try right now
AI Models 'Secretly' Learn Capabilities Long Before They Show Them, Researchers Find
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🔥Quote/Prompt
Every day of our lives we are on the verge of making those slight changes that would make all the difference.
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)
I know we have several people here that are crushing it at implementing this so when I drew it, I thought of you guys (I won't tag you, but Atomic Habits fans in the Inner Circle, you know who you are!). Feel free to comment below though!
It was one of our book club books and it really spurred a great discussion and fits RIGHT with this quote.
A few takeaways I had were: […]
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📈 Performance
If you’re a woman, definitely read this article. If you’re a man with women in your life, also definitely read this article – so, basically, everyone. :)
Think about it: Is all productivity advice created equal? Maybe not. Like many industries, productivity advice has been dominated by men. In fact, 93% of time management books were written by men, for a completely different way of working and it might make women who read these books feel like they constantly fall short. Maybe it’s time for a different approach.
"Tasks that involve caring for others typically cannot be neatly checked off a list. The dishes will need to be washed again tomorrow (or, rather, after the next meal). The children's feet will continue to grow. Birthdays, shockingly, come around year after year. There is a need for a way of talking about care and work and time that recognizes the meaning in the continuous work of noticing and maintaining."
Key Insights:
Women's cyclical energy patterns require different approaches than men's linear daily rhythms. (Example: Using high-energy ovulation phase for major projects.)
Care work and relationship maintenance don't fit neatly into productivity frameworks. (Example: The value of reading that picture book for the twentieth time.)
Setting realistic expectations based on your actual life pattern is more sustainable than forcing yourself into someone else's system. (Example: Planning work around school pickup times rather than fighting them.)
Read the full article for real examples from successful women who rejected traditional productivity advice to create sustainable work patterns, plus actionable strategies for integrating work and life responsibilities.
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⚙️ Optimization
Running a business means constantly adapting your marketing to reach new customers. But if you're still using pre-pandemic strategies to connect with Gen Z (who'll have $12 trillion in spending power by 2030) and this age range is often the predictor for the evolution of marketing…you're missing out on major opportunities.
“Gen Z expects the brands it supports to take a stand on social justice issues. Staying neutral out of a lack of vision or fear of offending some consumers is a failing strategy. Today's consumers expect their brands to take a stand on at least some topics. Take a look at Cracker Barrel's unexpected stance on LGBTQ+ rights in 2023. The Southern-style restaurant chain, traditionally associated with a more conservative customer base and known for staying out of political discussions, surprised many by publicly supporting Pride. The decision initially caused some backlash among certain long-time customers who viewed it as contradictory to the brand's perceived values. However, Cracker Barrel saw an influx of support from younger demographics and urban markets.”
Key Insights:
Content authenticity trumps polish - 46% of Gen Z turns to social media platforms like TikTok and YouTube for information, preferring raw authenticity over polished corporate messaging. (Example: They're more likely to trust a customer review video than a professional brand commercial.)
Traditional marketing channels are losing effectiveness - Gen Z actively trains their social media algorithms to show them what they want, making targeted content essential. (Example: They'll deliberately engage with posts to see more similar content and ignore others to curate their feed.)
Experience-based marketing wins over product marketing - 68% of Gen Z values experiences over material things, creating opportunities for event-based marketing strategies. (Example: Offering exclusive event access as loyalty rewards instead of traditional product discounts.)
Read the full article for all seven marketing truths and specific examples of brands successfully connecting with Gen Z customers.
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⏲️ Time Management
Those endless to-do lists aren't just stressing you out - they're keeping you from the strategic work that actually grows your business. This practical guide from an executive coach reveals a systematic approach to regaining control of your workload and schedule.
“When staff are in the thick of it and cannot see the wood for the trees, one of the most effective and simplest strategies is a "brain-dump". First, take a breath, get a cup of tea, and give yourself time to list everything that is on your mind: every challenge you are facing, every item on your to-do list. You can do this in a conversation with a trusted friend or colleague, but I find writing everything down makes the situation feel more tangible and easier to deal with.”
Key Insights:
The "brain dump" approach stops overwhelm by making intangible stressors concrete. (Example: Writing down every single task and worry, no matter how small, gives you a clear starting point for prioritization.)
Time blocking must start with non-negotiables first. (Example: Block out essential commitments like family time and self-care before adding any work tasks to your calendar.)
The 80/20 rule makes sustainable schedules possible. (Example: Aim to maintain your ideal schedule 80% of the time, allowing flexibility for occasional busy periods like client launches or deadlines.)
Read the full article for a complete weekly planning template, reflection questions for prioritizing tasks, and specific strategies for communicating workload concerns to leadership.
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💻 Tools & Technology
Still wading through research materials and spending hours creating study guides? Google's latest AI experiments could revolutionize how you handle content and boost your productivity. These tools are free to try and could give your small business an early advantage in using next-gen AI.
“NotebookLM is Google's AI-powered note-taking assistant that helps you analyze and understand documents. Upload your research materials, and the AI will help you create summaries, answer questions, and generate insights. It's kind of like creating your own custom study guides for various topics. It also lets you create audio overviews of your materials—podcast-like discussions hosted by two eerily human-sounding synthetic voices.”
Key Insights:
Research automation goes beyond basic summaries. NotebookLM can turn your research documents into interactive study guides and even generate podcast-style audio discussions.
AI learning tools adapt to your knowledge level. Google's Learn About tool adjusts its explanations based on your understanding as you explore topics.
These experimental tools offer early access to emerging tech. You can test features like AI-generated audio discussions before they become mainstream products.
Read the full article for detailed walkthroughs of all seven Google AI tools, including specific use cases for content creation, learning, and productivity enhancement.
🤖 AI
If you think AI transparency means you know exactly what your models can do, this new Harvard research might make you think again. Just like a person who understands a language but can't speak it yet, AI systems are developing capabilities that remain hidden until specifically prompted.
“Modern AI models possess hidden capabilities that emerge suddenly and consistently during training, but these abilities remain concealed until prompted in specific ways, according to new research from Harvard and the University of Michigan. The study, which analyzed how AI systems learn concepts like color and size, revealed that models often master these skills far earlier than standard tests suggest—a finding with major implications for AI safety and development.”
Key Insights:
AI models develop capabilities up to 2,000 training steps earlier than current testing can detect. (Example: A model might understand how to combine features like "smiling women" and "men with hats" long before it can demonstrate this ability.)
The emergence of new capabilities follows distinct phases rather than gradual improvements. (Example: Models show sharp transitions in ability at specific points, unlike the gradual learning curve previously assumed.)
Traditional testing methods may seriously underestimate AI capabilities. (Example: Researchers found multiple ways to access "hidden" abilities through techniques like "linear latent intervention" and "overprompting".)
Read the full article for detailed analysis of the research methodology, implications for AI safety, and how this discovery differs from the previously understood concept of "grokking" in AI development.
👀 Read, Watch, Listen
This week’s awesome books, YouTube videos, newsletters, etc. to add to your list!
Erin Meyer's "The Culture Map" explores how cultural differences affect international business communication and relationships. The book presents a practical framework for understanding various cultural approaches to workplace interaction - from the indirect American style of delivering negative feedback to the direct communication of Europeans, and from Asian hierarchical structures to Scandinavian egalitarianism. Meyer combines theoretical analysis with actionable strategies to help professionals navigate cross-cultural business environments effectively.
🎉 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!
I made good progress with my video scripts.
I also managed to work on a new blog article
I completed the Sprint
Thanks to timeblocking, I managed to do some work on my [business].
The deep dive with Jenae gave me some good ideas on how to grow my audience.
I managed to get my huge [business-related] delivered (nearly) on time.
I checked off almost everything from my list. I used the board again after a long time and it helped me check off some important admin stuff.
What did you do this week? We feature non-member successes too. Just post them here!
🔒Inner Circle: Events & Announcements
ANNOUNCEMENT: Vote for our book club book! LINK
ANNOUNCEMENT: Reminder of remaining schedule updates LINK
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: December 6 is your Monthly Goal Setting Workshop RSVP here
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I hope you found this valuable!
Wishing you much productivity!
- Jenae :)
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