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- Issue No. 140: These are the tricks I use to drastically reduce screen time
Issue No. 140: These are the tricks I use to drastically reduce screen time
Google's latest AI will change the way we use the internet forever
Jenae Spry
December 20, 2024
Productivity Express
Issue No. 140
The Best in Evidenced-Based Productivity
for Small Business Owners, Freelancers & Founders
Helping You Work Smarter and Live More
The Rundown
Consuming arts and culture is good for health and wellbeing, research finds
Does schema still matter in AI search?
These are the tricks I use to drastically reduce screen time
Keypads Vs Pens: Why Handwriting Still Matters in the Digital Age
Google's latest AI will change the way we use the internet forever
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🔥Quote/Prompt
Life is always now.
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)
Have you ever said to yourself, I will...take the leap, do the thing, take the risk, summon my strength...
...when this project is over, starting Monday (maybe next Monday), when this busy period is over, when […]
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📈 Performance
Running a business can be all-consuming, leaving little time for "non-essential" activities like concerts, museums, or creative pursuits. But new research reveals these activities aren't just nice-to-haves – they're investments in your productivity and wellbeing that could save you money.
"Arts engagement has diverse and tangible effects on health, from supporting cognitive development and protecting against cognitive decline, to reducing symptoms of mental illness and enhancing wellbeing, reducing pain and stress, via the same neurological and physiological pathways activated by medication, reducing loneliness, and maintaining physical functioning, thereby reducing frailty and age-related physical decline."
Key Insights:
Even occasional cultural engagement (even every few months) delivers significant mental and physical health benefits. In fact, regular arts participants showed reduced depression, pain, and medication dependence.
The financial impact is measurable - arts engagement creates an average £1,000 yearly value per person through improved quality of life and productivity. Over-65s who took weekly museum drawing classes saved £1,310 in healthcare costs.
Cultural participation works through the same neurological pathways as medication for reducing stress and pain. Musical activities showed specific links to decreased depression and improved quality of life.
Read the full article for detailed research findings across 13 different demographic groups and specific examples of how different art forms impact health outcomes.
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⚙️ Optimization
If you've been dutifully adding schema markup to every page of your website because "that's what SEOs do," it's time for a reality check. With AI search engines becoming more sophisticated, the rules of SEO are shifting dramatically. Let's talk about what really matters for getting your content noticed.
"Unlike traditional search engines that rely on structured data to 'read' and interpret pages, they can understand plain text naturally, similar to how a human might. [...] But relevance alone isn't enough. You also need to be seen as an authority on the topic."
Key Insights:
Clear, direct answers are prioritized over technical optimization. A well-written FAQ can rank better than a heavily schema-marked page with more vague content.
Authority and credibility now matter more than technical markup. Fresh content with expert citations carries more weight than outdated pages with perfect schema.
Content consensus is becoming crucial - your information needs to align with trusted sources. If multiple authoritative sites say one thing and your content says another, your outlier perspective will be ignored.
Read the full article for a detailed breakdown of the four core principles AI uses to evaluate content, plus specific strategies for optimizing your content for AI search.
⏲️ Time Management
Let's be honest - your phone has probably become your default "break" from work, even though those quick checks often turn into hour-long scrolling sessions. This firsthand account reveals some great ways to break free from the cycle.
"The problem I had was that I often grabbed my phone and checked notifications, watched a video or five, or scrolled through the latest news when I was bored or needed a break from a difficult task I was working on. I often felt like I used my phone as a digital pacifier."
Key Insights:
Physical distance creates mental space. Keeping your phone in another room during work hours prevents unconscious reaching and allows true focus.
App hiding and timers work better than willpower alone. Adding friction with hidden apps and one-hour daily limits prevents mindless scrolling.
Scheduled notification checks prevent constant interruptions. Checking notifications just 3 times daily - morning, afternoon, and evening - helps break the instant-response habit.
Read the full article for detailed instructions on setting up these systems on any Android phone, plus two additional proven techniques for reducing screen time.
💻 Tools & Technology
Running a business means constant learning, planning, and documenting - but how you capture that information might be more important than you think. While most of us default to typing everything these days (same here!), emerging research suggests we might want to rethink our digital-only approach.
Recent neuroscience research reveals that physically writing notes - whether with traditional pen and paper or a digital stylus - activates different neural pathways than typing. This increased brain engagement could mean better retention and understanding, particularly for complex business concepts or strategic planning.
Key Insights:
Speed isn't everything. While typing lets you capture more content faster, handwritten notes often lead to better understanding and retention of key concepts.
Digital pens can offer the best of both worlds. Using a tablet with a stylus combines the cognitive benefits of handwriting with the convenience of digital storage and search. This is the e-notebook I bought and love since it doesn’t have a typical blue light screen. Plus, it can convert handwritten notes into typed!
Tool familiarity matters significantly. Regular digital pen users show similar cognitive benefits to traditional pen users, suggesting that practice with your chosen tool is crucial for effectiveness.
Read the full article for detailed research findings on different note-taking methods, specific tool recommendations, and practical implementation strategies for busy professionals.
🤖 AI
Remember when "browsing the web" meant actively clicking, typing, and navigating? Google's Project Mariner hints at a future where AI assistants handle the tedious parts of our online tasks for us. But there's an important catch that could affect how you do business online.
"By analysing pixels, images, text and web forms, the AI is able to complete tasks by typing or clicking in the appropriate places – though not always very well. It is currently only available to a limited number of testers, and Google admits that the current version is much slower than a human and still not as reliable."
Key Insights:
Browser automation is entering a new era. Project Mariner can navigate websites just like a human, from filling forms to making bookings, though it's still slow and imperfect.
Businesses will need to adapt their online presence. Advertisers may need to rethink their approach since AI agents, not humans, will increasingly interact with websites.
This is part of the "agentic era" of AI. Specialized AI agents like Jules for coding and Deep Research for research tasks suggest a future of purpose-built AI assistants.
Read the full article for a detailed breakdown of Project Mariner's capabilities, Google's vision for AI assistants, and how this technology could transform your online experience.
👀 Read, Watch, Listen
This week’s awesome books, YouTube videos, newsletters, etc. to add to your list!
Donald Miller's "Building a StoryBrand" presents a proven marketing framework that helps businesses communicate more effectively with customers. The book teaches leaders to use seven universal elements of storytelling to clarify their message and increase customer engagement. Miller argues that unclear messaging costs companies revenue and opportunities. Through his StoryBrand process, businesses learn to simplify their brand message, understand customer motivations, and create compelling marketing content across all platforms. The framework has helped thousands of businesses increase sales and customer engagement.
🎉 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!
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Wishing you much productivity!
- Jenae :)
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