Monthly Review - Boosting Productivity
Took a step back and convince myself that it's doable
Happy Brief Wednesday!
With the start of February, I thought it’d be a great idea to share my review of productivity in January 2023 as this week's Brief topic.
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TL;DR: A monthly review can be beneficial in helping me prioritize my goals and stay focused. By recognizing my struggles with writing, non-delegable chores, and lackluster productivity, I have devised a time budget for each task to improve my performance.
I have no doubt that frustration comes with my commitment to this weekly Brief. Writing is like a black hole, it sucks all of your energy and time. To have quality writing content regularly, I have set up a workflow:
Although I spend a lot of time researching, writing, and re-writing, I am often not satisfied with my Brief by the Wednesday deadline. This may be due to Hofstadter's Law, which states that
“It always takes longer than you expect, even when you take into account Hofstadter's Law.”
Specifically, deciding what to write about each week can sometimes be time-consuming at step 3. Even if I’m at step 4 but find that I really can’t write on the topic I selected previously, I would change the topic and restart the flow. In retrospect, changing topics is a waste of time, so I'll be more mindful when deciding my topic or to change my topic.
Another challenge in writing is obtaining feedback and review. I often rely on OpenAI and other similar services to review and improve my Brief. However, this leads to another issue - the need to continue writing on my own. To address this, I plan to compare the AI’s feedback with my original writing to identify any blindspots or my error patterns. At times, I also write completely on my own, as I did with my previous Brief on smart contracts.
My frustration is not just limited to my writing hustle. It is rooted in a scarcity mentality—never satisfied.
This scarcity mentality is a double-edged sword: it drives me to improve and strive for better, but also creates unrealistic expectations that lead to failure and frustration. So, I took a step back and review my tasks for the first quarter of 2023:
Side hustles: Solidity, CS50x, writing a weekly brief, hosting a monthly podcast, communication skill training, and updating my website;
Reading list: Mastering Blockchain (4th Edition), Crypto Theses for 2023 by Messari, Germany: Memories of a Nation, 關於羅馬人的二十個問題 (20 Questions about Romans), How Not to Be Wrong: The Power of Mathematical Thinking;
Family obligation
A full-time job
Networking
Exercise
Relaxation
Non-delegable chores
Well, I probably have too much on my plate, but somehow I still fool/convince myself that it’s doable. Even though I didn’t document how much time I spent writing, I knew it was too much this month. With Hofstadter’s Law in mind, I’ve stopped focusing solely on my tasks’ deadlines. Instead, I’ve created a time budget for each category, as shown in the pie chart and its detailed sub-charts.
Now the challenge becomes implementation and execution. I will let you know in the following monthly review.
The last challenge I want to address is my resistance and reluctance to non-delegable tasks. My resistance seems harmless, but it can significantly slow down our brain function, much like how running too many programs in the background can slow down a computer. To overcome this challenge, I recommend following the “2-minute rule” from David Allen's book “Getting Things Done”:
If a task can be completed within 2 minutes, do it right away. If not, schedule time for it.
In conclusion, monthly reviewing my side hustles and creating a time budget for each category can not only improve my self-awareness and productivity, but also solve the problem of selecting the topic for the first week of each month. I will limit the time I spend on each task (esp. writing!) and prevent my scarcity mentality or non-delegable chores from interfering with my progress.
I hope you enjoy my monthly review Brief. See you (probably) next Wednesday!
One Question This Week:
Can you improve your workflow or project with a quick review or debrief?
Stay safe and sharp,
Jason Lai
Disclaimer: Not legal advice. You can see the full disclaimer & disclosure here.
Credit: Originating from my monthly review, this Brief was reviewed and edited by ChatGPT.