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

• Quick Tip: Do you “work better under pressure” — watch this. (55 sec.)

• How To Beat Procrastination & Build Self-Discipline

• How to Create Your Own “Year in Review”

• 24 Years Ago, a Harvard Researcher Showed How to Increase Productivity at Work 65 Percent. Why Aren't We All Using Her Method?

• How to stop Dropbox from sharing your personal files with OpenAI

• Add this book to your reading list

🔥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

How To Beat Procrastination & Build Self-Discipline

Overcoming procrastination and building self-discipline involves understanding psychological triggers, setting motivating goals, creating routines to reduce decision fatigue, and finding intrinsic motivation.

• Understand the Psychological Roots of Procrastination: This involves recognizing present bias, where immediate rewards are favored over long-term benefits, and addressing flawed beliefs about needing to be in the right mood to accomplish tasks. “Researchers find that procrastinators tend to hold flawed beliefs about their motivation and focus, thinking time pressure increases their productivity or that they work best under stress. In reality, last-minute cramming often results in poorer quality work and higher anxiety.”

• Set Achievable Goals: Employing SMART criteria for goal-setting ensures that objectives are clear, measurable, and attainable, keeping focus and direction sharp. “Establish repetitive positive cues – for instance, framing exercise goals around how healthy and energetic they make you feel rather than numeric weight targets. Focus on intrinsic motivations and identity alignment rather than extrinsic rewards.“

• Minimize Decision Fatigue: Streamlining daily choices, such as preparing for the next day in advance, conserves mental energy for more significant, complex decisions. “Batch similar tasks like errands to consolidate decision points. Schedule periods of email catch-up and administrative work rather than constantly reacting. The more you can turn recurrent tasks into habits with triggers, rewards, and defaults, the less daily self-discipline they require.”

• Foster Intrinsic Motivation: Aligning tasks with personal values and interests leads to increased engagement and sustained effort, making tasks more meaningful and enjoyable. “Connect tasks to personal life purpose for greater meaning and enjoyment.”

⚙️ Optimization

How to Create Your Own “Year in Review”

A personal "Year in Review" is essential for your growth, enabling you to reflect on the past and plan effectively for future improvements.

Key Insights:

• Slow Down to Reflect: Allocating time for introspection is vital to recognize your strengths and learn from past mistakes. For example, set aside time to answer reflective questions about your achievements and areas for improvement, like what you learned the most this year or what you wish you had done differently.

• Seek External Perspectives: Involving peers in your review process brings additional insights and a clearer understanding of your progress. For example, have a session with a trusted colleague to discuss your year, using prompts to guide the conversation, such as discussing the most fulfilling or frustrating aspects and any limiting beliefs.

• Turn Awareness into Action: After reflection, it's crucial to convert your insights into concrete actions for the upcoming year. For example, use a "Focus Finder" tool to set specific goals, like identifying one learning goal, one new habit to develop, and one person for a career-focused conversation.

• Regular Reminders for Goals: Setting reminders for your goals helps maintain focus and ensures continuous progress. For example, keep your action plans visible and set a monthly reminder to check on your progress towards your learning goal or new habit.

⏲️ Time Management

24 Years Ago, a Harvard Researcher Showed How to Increase Productivity at Work 65 Percent. Why Aren't We All Using Her Method?

A Harvard researcher's study revealed that implementing uninterrupted work periods significantly increases productivity.

Key Insights:

• Implement Quiet Times - Allocate specific days or hours for distraction-free work. This can be done by setting up no-meeting periods, allowing you to focus on tasks without interruptions. Or, setting an “out of office” auto-response in your email so you don’t feel the need to check email.

• Team & Client Agreement - If you have a team, get your team on board with these quiet periods. Regardless of whether you have a team, get your clients on board by setting clear expectations of when you/your company will be responding. Even use your email signature to help remind them.

• Flexible Scheduling - Adjust the quiet times as needed. Try different times, like quiet afternoons, to see what works best for you and your team.

• Consistent Enforcement - Regularly apply and monitor adherence to these quiet times to maximize benefits.

💻 Tools & Technology

How to stop Dropbox from sharing your personal files with OpenAI

First, let me say, I LOVE Dropbox. It’s one of my favorite tools and I highly recommend it — buuuuut I am not sure how I feel about this so I’m cutting straight the chase here. Click the link above to read the details or below are the directions to opt out (you can always turn it back on):

1. Log into Dropbox.

2. Click your account icon in the upper right corner.

3. Click Settings.

4. Choose the Third-Party AI tab.

5. Toggle the switch to “off.”

👀 Read, Watch, Listen

This week’s awesome books, YouTube videos, newsletters, etc. to add to your list!

Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard (Book)

"Switch" by Chip and Dan Heath explores the internal conflict between our rational and emotional minds, which often hinders change. The book reveals that aligning these two aspects can lead to remarkable transformations, as illustrated through various real-life examples. It includes stories of medical interns challenging old practices, a home-organizing expert who simplifies housekeeping, and a manager who inspires a customer support team. The Heaths use these examples, grounded in diverse research, to demonstrate a universal pattern of successful change applicable to both personal and broader goals.

🎉 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!

• My trigger works and I am getting into the habit of thinking of the next day the evening before.

• I got a lot done this week (Billable all done, monthly admin all done, some reflection/recalibration work, prep for holidays, vacation etc.) and I wasn't overly tired on Friday.

• I got into the habit of not looking at LinkedIn till after my workout.

• I switched off my computer and time blocked my work well.

• My early morning workout is now baked in as a habit before I turn on the kettle.

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

🔒Inner Circle: Events & Announcements

• Announcement: ️Phase 1 of Platform Reorganization Complete! Learn more — Here

• MONDAY: 90-day Planning Formula Bash kicks off! RSVP here

• Tuesday: Work ON Business. Theme: Money

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

• Accelerators: Dec. 22 is your Office Hours RSVP here

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I hope you found this valuable!

Wishing you much productivity!

- Jenae :)