How I’m able to work less than 4 hours per day

I don’t know what to write about today … so I thought I’d walk you through my productivity system.

I got tons of positive feedback when I shared it on Twitter a few weeks ago.

It’ll be helpful to you as well.

See, the problem of the modern day is there is always more to do.

How many times have you woken up in a state of panic because your to-do list was longer than the Great Wall of China?

Or how many times have you closed the Twitter app leaving completely confused, overwhelmed, and anxious because everyone has another shiny tactic they claim is the best?

The world is littered with distractions.

Everyone promises more, more, more but ironically, the only way to get there is to do … less.

For this reason, my productivity system is not about doing more … it’s about doing only what’s important.

Here’s how it works:

  1. Write out all the tasks that stress you out the most

  2. Pick the most important task for today (ask yourself: “if this were the only thing I got done today, would it be a successful day?”)

  3. Pick an urgent task that just has to get done

  4. Pick one small “laundry task” – a task that you can complete in 5 minutes that will help you get momentum

(Hat tip to Tim Ferriss and Greg McKeown who inspired this)

This leaves you with precisely 3 tasks.

I then sit down for 3 hours to complete them and I’m done for the day.

Some days I feel like working more… on others I don’t. Either way, I’ll know that I’ve moved the needle today.

But how do you prioritize?

Valid question.

The key is to identify what’s important BEFORE HAND.

To build a sort of “filter” to identify only what’s important and remove all the clutter.

Let’s use me as an example to demonstrate how I do this.

First, I write out my goals for this quarter:

  • Sign 1 DFY client

  • Sign 3 1-1 coaching clients

  • Grow my list to 750 readers

Consequently, ANYTHING that DOESN’T help me either sign more clients or grow my list is a waste of time.

But we can get even more specific.

What are the specific actions that help me achieve those goals?

  • Goal 1 (DFY clients): Outreach, DM conversations, writing proposals

  • Goal 2 (Coaching): Writing emails, nailing my offer, creating course material

  • Goal 3 (List growth): Writing content, recording YT vids, creating lead magnets

And bam.

I now have 9 important actions.

On any given day I will simply ask myself what I need to do today … filter them through the task list above … pick the most urgent one … and get to work.

No more confusion or overwhelm.

(Note: obviously this system isn’t foolproof. For example, it doesn’t account for “maintenance tasks” like client work. That’s why you still need to use your brain.)

Here’s a screenshot of this as a notion template:

Hopefully, this was as helpful to you as it has been for me.

Reply to let me know.

Tim <3

P.S. I’ve found that the biggest challenge most creators face when scaling their brand is NOT a lack of skill, work ethic, or knowledge.

It’s actually confusion.

Not knowing which step to take next.

If you’d like me to help you with that and always give you the specific next steps you need to take to scale your brand to $3k/mo (minimum)…

Reply with “COACH” because I’m opening up 3 1-1 coaching spots where I help you do exactly that soon.

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