Productive with a Purpose

Be in the NOW ... like, all the time.

Productivity

Create a Mindful Morning Routine using Things3, Bear & X Callback URL Protocol

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Create a mindful morning routine.
Double down on your morning to set your day up for success.

Adding mindfulness to your morning routine

The internet told me that doubling down on a consistent morning routine is the key to a productive and impactful day.  I’ve got a solid routine when it comes to my Daily and Weekly Reviews with Things, but I wanted to add a more consistent “mindful” component.  

I stumbled on a fantastic post by Matt Valentine called 7 Morning Rituals That Will Change Your Life.  I’ve baked a few of his suggestions into my morning routine (focusing on journaling, meditation & being creative) and I am digging the clear-headed results so far. 

In this article, I’ll share a super simple way to create a mindful morning routine using a recurring todo in Things and an X Callback URL in Bear (+ a bonus Siri Shortcut).  I’ve included URLs below to help you set this up on your end.

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The Fu Master Productivity Checklist using Things3

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The Fu Master Productivity Checklist is a guide to help you confidently TRUST their productivity system.
Confidently trust YOUR productivity system so you can focus on what’s truly important.

Trust is a Must

For all of the aspiring Pebble Snatching, Productivity Fu Masters out there, I’ve created a Fu Master Productivity Checklist with Things3 as the backdrop.  My goal is to provide a framework that will guide others to a point where they can confidently TRUST their Productivity System.  

Why is trust so important?  Because with trust comes confidence.  With confidence comes the ability to let go and focus on whatever you’re doing … to be present and in the NOW … to focus on what’s truly important.

When trust is missing from the productivity equation, a constant haze of distracted worry tends to set in 😬.  

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Fight the Work Whirlwind by Living for Today

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Battling the Whirlwind

The whirlwind is where your day job and the end goal intersect.  

It’s a real thing and it’s suffocating … it howls … it’s as loud as a freight train and as constricting as a hug from a boa … everything is a priority and new ones seem to pop up daily … new boxes are added to your list before you’ve had a chance to check the old ones … the stakes are high and everyone’s hyper focused on the end goal … we need to deliver results.

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Productivity is the Forcefield

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Productivity is the forcefield that keeps you in the NOW and keeps evil distractions OUT.

Life is about being in the NOW. Purpose puts you there.  Productivity is the forcefield that keeps you there.  

Productivity isn’t the end goal, it’s a means to an end.  Being productive for the sake of being productive isn’t the point.  There has to be a purpose … a Why? behind all of the lists and todos and productivity tools and that constant … almost buzzing … incessant desire to be more productive.

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The Internet’s Top Productivity Tips in One Statement

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Down the Rabbit Hole.

There are a million Productivity Tips on the internet, it can be daunting to sift through them all.
Trying to navigate the internet’s Productivity Tips rabbit hole can be a daunting “todo” (pun intended 😉).

The internet has no shortage of Productivity tips, list, articles, ideas and recommendations for your Googling pleasure. 

I know because I recently fell down the Productivity tips internet rabbit hole … it’s deep … and it’s daunting.  The tips were great, but I was left asking myself: “Which of these are the best tips and where the heck do I start?”

A few weeks and countless Productivity focused Google searches later …

I ended up documenting every single list, theme and Productivity tip I came across, highlighting recurring themes and documenting when the same tips came up in multiple articles.

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Journal Like a BA, Sucka

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First Name: “Mr” Middle Name: “.” Last Name: “T”

Mr. T is an 80’s icon.  He made Mohawks cool when mullets were the raddest do on the hair style block.  He stuck with gold, even when Cubic Zirconia made a run on the Home Shopping Network.  He wrestled with Hulk Hogan, fought Rocky Balboa and defended Ricky Stratton against a bully in a very special episode of Silver Spoons.  It is well known that Mr. T pitied fools.  Man, did he pity some fools.  He even had his own Saturday morning cartoon and matching cereal (dosed with copious amounts of yummy 80’s sugar) that made a cameo in Pee Wee’s Big Adventure.  All that being said, I think it was his transcendent portrayal of BA Baracus on The A-Team that ultimately cemented Mr. T as my 80’s TV spirit father.

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Be a Pebble Snatching, Productivity Fu Master

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When You Can Snatch the Pebble from my Hand.

When Kwai Chang Caine (aka Grasshopper) was finally able to “snatch the pebble” from Master Kan’s hand, the student had become the master.  He had proven that through his training, he’d developed sufficient skills and wisdom and was ready to venture out into the world.  Insert awkward productivity segue here … My hope is for you to become a Pebble Snatching, Productivity Fu Master, effortlessly executing Keyboard Shortcuts at just the right time, whittling your endless list of todos down to the one you need to take action on RIGHT NOW. 

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Head Zero, Inbox Everything

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The Holy Grail.

Finding the perfect system for tracking tasks and to-dos is a Holy Grail of sorts.  There are countless books, websites, blogs, seminars and Reddit subs dedicated to the topic.  The tough part about “perfect anything” is that it doesn’t actually exist … it’s a mythical productivity unicorn that dances a four-hoofed jig that’s just out of your reach, taunting you to touch it’s sparkly horn 😜👉🦄.  But you can never quite touch that sparkly horn 😢. 

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