[TOOL] This Unusual Conversation Totally Changed My Mind
I just wrote a post on Medium.The title is:
The Counterintuitive Productivity Habit That Is Changing Lives
It’s a clickbait headline that draws attention because I believe in the content and what people will get from itAnyway, I wanted to examine that post for a second, here on the blog.The idea is mainly an extension of my post about the Death Bed Timer.That's the one where I talk about how I’ve estimated how many days, weeks, months, and years I’ve got left to live and how I check the countdown clock to re-establish a sense of urgency in my work.I don’t want to get to the end of my life with regret.I’d rather stare death in the face and be ready when it comes.I’d also rather put the pressure on myself to act in accordance with my dreams instead of waiting until later in life to take action.Anyway, the post goes on about the Age of Distraction—the name I use for the state of constant disruption that smartphone notifications and emails have put us in.
It then goes on to reveal something I usually don’t talk about: a thing.
Yep.A smartwatch.Yeah, I talked with a couple founders about their product after they reached out to me.Now listen, I get approached all the time by brands and products from people who really want to sell gsrbage—but these guys were different.In fact, the whole conversation we had was about how they want to help people avoid regret and live their best life. We barely talked about the mechanics of the watch at all.
After hearing it from them firsthand, I decided I needed to look further and I was impressed.
The had basically, independently, taken my death-bed timer concept and turned it into a smartwatch.Now, of course, it does more than just one thing, but you get the idea.So naturally, I told them I would tell you about it.Please check out their Kickstarter page to see if they still have watches available.These guys raised over $10k in a day and hit their goal in under an hour.I talked with them and we worked it out so that if you click this link you can get about a 40% discount on the retail price.https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/thush/emit-smartwatch-change-your-perspective-on-time?ref=36ekahNot bad.
Just don’t wait to buy one later because these things are disappearing quick.
There are only a few remaining at this price and the deal ends in a few days.
This is a Kickstarter project and there are a limited number of these set for production.
Click here for EMIT availability.
Plus, if you have any issues with it in the first two years, they’ll send you a new watch!
I don’t think anyone else on Kickstarter has a guarantee like that.
Thought you might find this useful.2 Minute ActionIf you feel like this could work, click and make it happen.If you feel like it's not for you, hit reply and let me know what's on your mind.
All This Talk About "Intention"
I've been hearing a lot of people use the word "intention," lately.
- We need to be intentional about the way we treat customers.
- We need to be intentional about the way we use our smart devices.
- We need to be intentional about the way we spend our resources.
Basically, the word intentional just means being "aware of why we're doing this."This is another one of those concepts that's simple but not easy.Who are our customers and why do they like us? How might we make their experience better in order to improve retention, loyalty, and product reviews?Why am I looking at my phone? Am I trying to accomplish a task, relax and unplug, or reach out to someone? Would getting distracted help or decrease my chances of doing what I want? Am I in control of my attention and the content that is shaping my thoughts?Am I using our marketing dollars on an outcome that is measurable and valuable? Am I buying something that won't be useful 6 months from now? Am I spending my time on something that isn't moving me in the direction of my dreams?Asking and answering these questions takes time and a lot of effort. It's hard.Seems simple, but it's incredible how many people are moving through life without giving their behavior a reality-check.It's easier to just move through without spending all the mental energy.Mindlessly checking our phones, saying "yes" or "no" is easier than engaging our customers with a smile.Spending money on something right now will let you go faster today, but you may have to buy it again later if you didn't get the right specs.Calibrating our "why do we get up in the morning" with our actions for the day is a powerful habit.It only leads you where you want to go.
2 Minute Action
What are 3 things that you need to accomplish today?Why do you need to do them?What would happen if you didn't do them?What's the worst thing that could happen?How likely is that? Is it really that bad?I'm not saying "don't do the things you need to do, today."I'm saying: be clear about why. If you have too many days in a row where you're not sure why you're checking off these boxes, that's a good sign you might need to recalibrate your trajectory.
Get 5 Extra Hours In Your Day
Actually, it's more than 5 hours.
Neilson has reported that in 2016, the average American watched over 5 hours of TV per day.Now multiply that by the ~300 million people in the country.That's 1.5 billion man/hrs that could have been spent doing something useful.We could build cities, discover cures, or even just get 6 pack abs.Maybe it's not TV for you--so what is it?What is the thing that's so hard to give up? The thing you think you need to relax, unwind, unplug?What would happen if someone took it away? Would you die a slow and painful death?Probably not.
2 Minute Action:
Since we're moving from TV to our smart devices . . .Unlock your smartphone and check your battery settings.On an iPhone: Settings > BatteryThen check how much power you've used (or screentime you've logged) in the last 24 hours and in the last week. The results may surprise you.Try deleting one app from your phone for a week. Just one week.If you don't explode, maybe you might have the time to think about the life you really want to be living.