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- Issue No. 23: One Change to Make to Your Morning Routine (and it's easy!)
Issue No. 23: One Change to Make to Your Morning Routine (and it's easy!)
Are You a Time Optimist? Why Some People Are Perennially Late – and How to Be More Punctual
Productivity Express
Issue No. 23
The Best in Productivity & Systems for Entrepreneurs
Helping You Work Smarter and Live More
Hey there!
I hope you've had a productive week! If you are new here, welcome to our Friday Roundup.
What is the Friday Roundup?
A roundup of the best in productivity & systems for Entrepreneurs and small business owners with a ‘TLDR’ summary and our take on how to take action to systematize your business and your life.
Be on the lookout for our Tuesday Swipe file & Case study! Every Tuesday a free behind-the-scenes swipe file from an entrepreneur with the systems, tools, and hires that helped them build sustainable success.
-Jenae :)
The Rundown
The One Change Experts Want You To Make To Your Morning Routine
What Google’s Antitrust Trial Means for Your Search Habits
Are You a Time Optimist? Why Some People Are Perennially Late – and How to Be More Punctual
ByteDance’s Video Editor CapCut Targets Businesses with AI Ad Scripts and AI-Generated Presenters
This week’s recommendations of helpful things to check out
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🔥Quote/Prompt
Acknowledging a mistake just means that you are wiser today than you were yesterday.
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)
🤬 Is it just me, or do you also hate when something bad happens (especially when you have a hand in it partly or completely) and someone tells you it’s a learning experience?
Something I’ve been trying to do, which has helped me, is reframe this such that I tell myself this regularly in advance. Let me explain.
Instead of viewing everything as “pass/fail” where a mistake means “failing,” I don’t set things up this way from the beginning.
Yes, I have goals and targets that I push myself for and strive for, but […]
Did someone forward this to you?
📈 Performance
A "low dopamine morning" routine as opposed to the common habit of reaching for your phone upon waking up can promote mental health and productivity. How you kickstart your day can significantly impact the course of the rest of your day and the good news here is no one is recommending 4 a.m. wakeups or ice-cold showers.
Key insights:
Avoid Quick Dopamine Hits: Michalski strongly advises against the immediate gratification of quick dopamine hits from activities like checking social media or responding to messages as soon as you wake up. These actions can set a precedent for seeking instant rewards throughout the day, often leading to unproductive and distracted behavior.
Slow Dopamine Releasing Tasks: Instead of grabbing your phone, she recommends engaging in "slow dopamine-releasing tasks." These tasks include starting your day by visiting the bathroom, washing your face, and making your bed. Additionally, she suggests refraining from reaching for coffee right away, as it can also provide a quick dopamine fix. Challenge yourself to spend the initial 30 minutes of your day without your phone, gradually extending this period to an hour over time. This practice is believed to enhance productivity and concentration throughout the day.
Activities for Slow Dopamine Release: According to the Cleveland Clinic, activities that promote a gradual release of dopamine include exercise, meditation, yoga, massage, playing with a pet, walking in nature, and reading a book. These activities can be integrated into your morning routine to set a positive tone for the day.
Supplements for Dopamine Production: If you find it challenging to naturally produce dopamine, the Cleveland Clinic suggests considering supplements like Tyrosine, L-theanine, and vitamins D, B5, and B6. These nutrients play a crucial role in dopamine synthesis. Omega-3 essential fatty acids and magnesium are also recommended supplements for maintaining healthy dopamine levels.
⚙️ Optimization
The ongoing antitrust trial involving Google has the potential to reshape the search engine landscape, which could impact small businesses significantly.
Key Insights:
Search Engine Competition: The trial may result in increased competition among search engines. This means that small businesses could have more options beyond Google for reaching their target audience online. Diversifying their online presence across multiple search engines may become a viable strategy.
Advertising Costs: Any changes in Google's advertising practices due to the trial could affect the advertising costs for small businesses. We are following these developments so you can adjust any possible advertising budgets and strategies accordingly.
SEO Adjustments: Potential alterations to Google's algorithms or search practices could mean making adjustments to your SEO strategies.
Legal Awareness: The antitrust trial's outcome may have broader legal implications for online business practices and compliance.
⏲️ Time Management
Chronic lateness often plagues "time optimists" who struggle with punctuality by underestimating task durations and overestimating available time, leading to stress and negative consequences.
Key Insights:
"Time Optimists" and Punctuality: "Time optimists" are individuals who tend to underestimate how long tasks take to complete and overestimate the time available. As a result, they frequently find themselves late for appointments, meetings, and events. This pattern of chronic lateness can create stress not only for the individual but also for those who are affected by their tardiness.
Procrastination and Mood Management: Chronic lateness can be driven by procrastination, which is not solely a matter of time management but often a reflection of poor mood management. When people associate negative emotions like anxiety, fear of failure, or frustration with a particular task, they may put off doing it, leading to delays and lateness. This procrastination can exacerbate chronic lateness.
Strategies for Improvement: For individuals struggling with punctuality, adopting effective strategies can help improve timeliness. Creating pre-event deadlines, which allow some flexibility for lateness, can be beneficial. Additionally, building in buffers of extra time for potential delays can help mitigate the impact of underestimating task durations.
ADHD and "Time Blindness": In some cases, chronic lateness may be related to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), characterized by a phenomenon known as "time blindness." Individuals with ADHD may find it nearly impossible to manage their time effectively due to issues with executive function in the frontal lobes of the brain. This "time blindness" leads to a lack of awareness of how much time has passed or how much time remains, making punctuality a significant challenge. Understanding this aspect can offer more compassionate perspectives on chronic lateness.
💻 Tools & Technology
ByteDance's video editing platform, CapCut, is venturing into the business world with a suite of AI-powered features designed to assist entrepreneurs and small business owners in their marketing efforts.
Key Insights:
AI-Powered Ad Scripts: CapCut now offers a novel feature that leverages artificial intelligence to generate ad scripts. This means businesses can quickly craft engaging and persuasive content automatically. This not only saves time but also reduces costs associated with content creation.
Virtual Presenters: One of the most intriguing aspects of CapCut's new offering is the use of AI-generated virtual presenters. These virtual presenters can add a human touch to business videos, making them more relatable and engaging. Furthermore, businesses can customize these virtual presenters to align with their brand identity and messaging.
User-Friendly Interface: CapCut has maintained its reputation for having a user-friendly interface, making video editing accessible to individuals with limited technical expertise. This ease of use is crucial for entrepreneurs and small business owners who may not have dedicated video production teams.
Cost-Effective Solution: With CapCut's AI-driven features, businesses can achieve professional-quality video content without the need for large budgets or extensive resources. This cost-effective solution democratizes video production, allowing smaller businesses to compete with larger competitors in the digital marketing space.
👀 Recommendations
Revolut (Banking Service)
Use our partner link here to get Premium free for 3 months
Banks will charge you when you spend or transfer money abroad. They’re not about that. Lots of other interesting features too including a savings option.
"The Inner Game of Stress" is a collaborative work by sports psychology expert W. Timothy Gallwey and two physicians. It adapts the principles from Gallwey's renowned Inner Game series to address everyday stress in personal, professional, financial, and physical aspects of life. The book reveals how negative self-talk can lead to feelings of helplessness and unhappiness due to societal pressures. It offers practical tools like the STOP technique for conscious decision-making, the Attitude tool to shift from resentment to gratitude, and the Magic Pen for intuition. Additionally, it presents the Transpose exercise for empathy and the PLE triangle for redefining success. These tools empower readers to manage stress effectively and improve their overall well-being.
🎉Weekly Win
I've managed to spend 1 hour each morning working on my business, even when I didn't feel like it in the beginning, I've made some changes to my website copy and I received a compliment for my website intro Maria Theresia Breitenberger Founder Congratulations on your work-life balance win! Now it's time for you to share YOUR win! Big or small...Let us celebrate you! |
🔒Inner Circle: Events & Announcements
Tuesday: Work ON Business. Theme: Mapping
Monday/Friday: Goal Setting + Plan Your Week Party
Accelerators: October 27 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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