The Daily 5 with Aurooba
Aurooba Ahmed
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A daily 5 minute podcast looking inwards. Topics are usually around productivity, tech, entrepreneurship, motivation, work/life balance, etc.
Available episodes
Newest first
Oldest first
Apr 4, 2023
Balance is impossible
A rather philosophical discussion about balance today. (a full transcript is available on the website)
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Apr 2, 2023
Plants and other thoughts
This is a weird one. Just so you know. (a full transcript is available on the website)
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Apr 2, 2023
Quitting versus completing
Am I quitting or am I completing this thing. (a full transcript is available on the website)
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Apr 1, 2023
First drafts and standards
Thinking about how once you know your first drafts aren't your best work, it becomes harder to accept first draft effort from yourself. (a full transcript is available on the website)
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Mar 31, 2023
Sleep on it.
Taking a break for a hot second (as I like to say). (a full transcript is available on the website)
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Mar 29, 2023
On learning
A little reflection on learning and knowledge work. (a full transcript is available on the website)
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Mar 28, 2023
Iterate and consider doing it in public.
Reflecting on the power and process of iteration. (a full transcript is available on the website)
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Mar 27, 2023
Reflecting on 90 days of The Daily 5.
Looking back on 90 days of this podcast, sharing some news, and looking towards the future. Warning: today's piece is longer than 5 minutes (a full transcript is available on the website)
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Mar 26, 2023
What's a good break?
(90 days of episodes!) Musing on what makes for an actual restful break. (a full transcript is available on the website)
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Mar 25, 2023
Fasting
A little introduction to Ramadan, fasting, and the impact it has on my life. (a full transcript is available on the website)
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Mar 24, 2023
Be better than promos
A late night reflection on niching. (a full transcript is available on the website)
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Mar 23, 2023
Shrink the list of things you care about
A little audio journal on figuring out what I want to care about and what I want to try to care less about. (a full transcript is available on the website)
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Mar 22, 2023
Sunsets and quiet.
sunsets, quiet, feeling, thinking. it's all soupy in my brain today. (a full transcript is available on the website)
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Mar 21, 2023
Find your people.
A little reflection on surrounding yourself with people you trust. (a full transcript is available on the website)
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Mar 20, 2023
Direction
Some meandering thoughts based on a tweet I saw the other day. (a full transcript is available on the website)
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Mar 19, 2023
The evolution of accountability in a longer project
Reflecting on the different kinds of accountability techniques I find myself leaning on in a longer project. (a full transcript is available on the website)
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Mar 18, 2023
Being in a state of flow
I was in the zone today and here is what I did to get there, what it felt like, and what I did while in it. (a full transcript is available on the website)
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Mar 17, 2023
The state of flow
Some reminders to help you slip into that state of flow more easily. I was reminding myself and maybe it'll help you too. (a full transcript is available on the website)
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Mar 16, 2023
Doing is a habit
The more you do the easier it becomes to do. (a full transcript is available on the website)
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Mar 15, 2023
Hard Mode
I promise not every episode going forward will be a journal-style one, but right now, this one is also a bit of a journal-esque episode. (a full transcript is available on the website)
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Mar 14, 2023
Crossroads
Meandering reflection on decision making. (a full transcript is available on the website)
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Mar 13, 2023
Doing interesting adjacent things
Riffing on doing fun interesting things, but also fair warning, I was a little all over the place in this episode. π
(a full transcript is available on the website)
Work Clean β amazon link
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Mar 12, 2023
New ideas aren't really new
An unfinished reflection on ideas. (a full transcript is available on the website)
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Mar 11, 2023
On the outside looking in
What we often see about other people's lives is never the whole picture. (a full transcript is available on the website)
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Mar 10, 2023
Some days are harder than others.
And this was one of the harder days. (a full transcript is available on the website)
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Mar 9, 2023
All energy is contagious
Today's thoughts are a bit about anxiety, our own and others'. (a full transcript is available on the website)
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Mar 8, 2023
Sometimes itβs just a grind
It's okay if you need to hustle a little sometimes. You know? (a full transcript is available on the website)
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Mar 7, 2023
The paper cuts add up
I had an epiphany, a fairly obvious one in hindsight, but isn't that how it goes with most things? (a full transcript is available on the website)
Aim to be 1% better everyday β https://thedaily5.xyz/s1/33
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Mar 6, 2023
Do Dates coupled with Due Dates
What if you knew when you would do a certain task and not just when the task needs to be done by? (a full transcript is available on the website)
How to do great work ahead of your deadline β https://thedaily5.xyz/s1/45
August Bradley on DO Dates β https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccjPYkWKM1U
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Mar 5, 2023
Be a little flexible with how you get there.
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Mar 4, 2023
Get to the point.
Recounting yet another lesson my teachers taught me about effective writing. (a full transcript is available on the website)
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Mar 3, 2023
Your first draft is not your best work
A little story about how I learned to revise, and maybe..an ode to some of the amazing teachers I've had. (a full transcript is available on the website)
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Mar 2, 2023
Enumerate the challenge
You can't conquer a project if you don't know everything you need to do. You know? (a full transcript is available on the website)
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Mar 1, 2023
On the art of shipping
The theme for March is the art of shipping, aka creating, producing and publicly sharing a project. (a full transcript is available on the website)
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Feb 28, 2023
Setting up a Daily Review
I walk through the new version of my Daily Review template and the mindset you should approach daily reviews/check-ins from. (a full transcript is available on the website)
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Feb 27, 2023
The Business of Goal Setting
Did I forget to actually check in with my goals for the past two months? Yes. Yes I did. So let's fix that, yeah? (a full transcript is available on the website)
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Feb 26, 2023
Building in public and where we go from here.
Thinking about my experience of building in public in the past and how to bring that more into play for the rest of this year. (a full transcript is available on the website)
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Feb 25, 2023
What 60 days of daily podcasting has taught me.
60 days is a milestone. So I decided to do a reflective but celebratory episode about it. (a full transcript is available on the website)
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Feb 24, 2023
On the systems that help you and the help they need from you.
A little riff on productivity systems and our relationship to them β this especially applies to knowledge workers. (a full transcript is available on the website)
The Simple Genius of NYCβs Water Supply System β https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDLkOWW0_xg
August Bradley's YouTube Channel β https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfqj2oq6LVmR3ybC2nfjqKg
The Sunday Ritual β https://calnewport.com/follow-a-sunday-ritual/
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Feb 23, 2023
What is your time worth?
What if you looked at the tasks you have to do from a different angle? (a full transcript is available on the website)
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Feb 22, 2023
Planning your day with your partner
Something that's been working to help me keep in sync with my partner despite having very different work schedules. (a full transcript is available on the website)
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Feb 21, 2023
The typical week doesn't work for a lot of us.
An unfinished thought around how the way we're expected to schedule our lives doesn't really work anymore. (a full transcript is available on the website)
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Feb 20, 2023
On async communication habits.
Thinking a little bit about habits and etiquette around async comms today. (a full transcript is available on the website)
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Feb 19, 2023
Boredom is good. Let's seek out boredom.
This is a bit of a ramble but I was discussing boredom in adulthood (or the lack thereof) with some friends and decided to talk it out a bit on the podcast. :) (a full transcript is available on the website)
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Feb 18, 2023
Scheduling deep immersion time.
My current system is failing me because it's against my nature. What would happen if I leaned into how I naturally work? (a full transcript is available on the website)
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Feb 17, 2023
On being a teammate.
A little unfinished thought about how to be a teammate at work. (a full transcript is available on the website)
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Feb 16, 2023
Energetic gratitude
Peaceful gratitude doesn't work for me, but energetic gratitude (a kind of visualization, you could say) does. (a full transcript is available on the website)
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Feb 15, 2023
It's okay to ask for help.
Reflecting on a situation where I should have asked for help but I didn't. (a full transcript is available on the website)
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Feb 14, 2023
Keep your door open.
Why you need a collaborator or just..exposure to other people and ideas. (a full transcript is available on the website)
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Feb 13, 2023
It's counterintuitive to rest, do it anyway.
Recounting a lesson I have had to learn and re-learn time and time again. (a full transcript is available on the website)
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Feb 12, 2023
What you want vs what you want to want
This is part of the same thought I had yesterday around generalists vs specialists, but tackles the desire angle instead. (a full transcript is available on the website)
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Feb 11, 2023
Generalist vs Specialist
Exploring the idea of a generalized specialist β an unfinished thought I want to explore over a few days. Using a new microphone today, and clearly the audio needs some adjustment. (a full transcript is available on the website)
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Feb 10, 2023
Forgiving yourself for your mistakes.
Let's just not beat ourselves up about our mistakes and deal with the aftermath more productively, yeah? (a full transcript is available on the website)
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Feb 9, 2023
How to do great work ahead of your deadline.
Sharing some of the tactics I've used in the past to help myself perform better without being under the gun. (a full transcript is available on the website)
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Feb 8, 2023
Why you do your best work right before that deadline.
A little rumination on why we do some of our best work at the last minute and why that's not so great. (a full transcript is available on the website)
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Feb 7, 2023
The inevitable block you hit with any habit eventually.
Thinking out loud today about the future of The Daily 5 and reflecting on creative habits in general. (a full transcript is available on the website)
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Feb 6, 2023
When it's hard to start, try a different approach.
Musing out loud on how to focus on deep work more, when it feels hard to start. (a full transcript is available on the website)
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Feb 5, 2023
Notice. Wait. Take Action.
An unfinished thought about when to take action when you notice something going wrong. Not a big fan of the audio quality in this episode, you have been forewarned. (a full transcript is available on the website)
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Feb 4, 2023
On Balance
A very raw thought on balancing the different parts of our lives and context switching. (a full transcript is available on the website)
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Feb 3, 2023
Don't grow too quickly.
An unfinished thought about growing too quickly and too much. (a full transcript is available on the website)
The news about Apple β https://www.indiatimes.com/worth/news/how-apple-has-so-far-avoided-mass-layoffs-591615.html
Balsamiq's company articles β https://balsamiq.com/company/how-we-run-our-business/
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Feb 2, 2023
Asking doesn't guarantee receiving.
(a full transcript is available on the website)
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Feb 1, 2023
Deliberate Practice
Thinking back to a time when I employed deliberate practice, then riffing on what it means and what we could do with it.
(a full transcript is available on the website)
I was right! Anders Ericsson did talk about "deliberate practice" β https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02396/full
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Jan 31, 2023
Writing off the day.
This is more of a ramble than anything else, on the idea of a "cheat day". (a full transcript is available on the website)
Ali's "Reitoff Principle" β https://aliabdaal.com/the-reitoff-principle-for-productivity/
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Jan 30, 2023
Be excellent to each other.
(a full transcript is available on the website)
Andy's post β https://andy-bell.co.uk/dont-snark-on-people-who-are-learning/
Stuart's post β https://www.alwaystwisted.com/articles/were-all-reading-the-same-book-but-were-all-on-different-pages
"Be excellent to each other", scene from the movie β https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVXGC896Jdw
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Jan 29, 2023
Choose effectiveness over the long run, over efficiency.
(a full transcript is available on the website)
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Jan 28, 2023
Beginning the day with a mindfulness practice.
(a full transcript is available on the website)
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Jan 28, 2023
Aim to be 1 percent better everyday.
(a full transcript is available on the website)
The 1 Percent Better Everyday line graph from James Clear β https://jamesclear.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/tiny-gains-graph.jpg
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Jan 27, 2023
What we measure, we improve.
(a full transcript is available on the website)
I first read about the Seinfeld Strategy when Gina Trapani wrote about it on Lifehacker β https://lifehacker.com/jerry-seinfelds-productivity-secret-281626
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Jan 26, 2023
Day 30 is the time to reflect, systemize, and make a plan for your new routine.
(a full transcript is available on the website)
The Daily 5 podcast workflow β https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBYKbMKxKas
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Jan 25, 2023
Boundaries at work.
(a full transcript is available on the website)
Energy management leads to time management β https://thedaily5.xyz/s1/18
Be in charge of how you spend your time β https://thedaily5.xyz/s1/2
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Jan 24, 2023
Mornings startups and Shutdown routines
(a full transcript is available on the website)
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Jan 23, 2023
Do The thing.
(a full transcript is available on the website)
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Jan 22, 2023
Something is better than nothing.
(a full transcript is available on the website)
What do you do when things don't go according to plan? β https://thedaily5.xyz/s1/17
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Jan 21, 2023
If you can't sleep, get out of bed.
(a full transcript is available on the website)
Look at that! My technique isn't just something random! β https://www.sleepfoundation.org/insomnia/treatment/what-do-when-you-cant-sleep
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Jan 20, 2023
Don't let your tools control you.
(a full transcript is available on the website)
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Jan 19, 2023
Balance is overrated.
(a full transcript is available on the website)
I found this old article of James Clear's where he talks about the 4 burners theory β https://jamesclear.com/four-burners-theory
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Jan 18, 2023
Figuring out our 'why'.
(a full transcript is available on the website)
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Jan 17, 2023
Move more so you can think better.
(a full transcript is available on the website)
Move when you're stuck β https://thedaily5.xyz/s1/15
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Jan 16, 2023
The role of serendipity in our lives.
(a full transcript is available on the website)
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Jan 15, 2023
Make the thing you wish you had.
(a full transcript is available on the website)
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Jan 14, 2023
Energy management leads to time management.
(a full transcript is available on the website)
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Jan 13, 2023
What do you do when things don't go according to plan?
(a full transcript is available on the website)
The episode about grit β https://thedaily5.xyz/s1/11
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Jan 12, 2023
Read for pleasure so you can read for growth.
A lot of people have trouble cultivating a reading habit as adults. I've an anecdotal theory as to why, and why it's failing.
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Jan 11, 2023
Move when you're stuck.
(a full transcript is available on the website)
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Jan 10, 2023
On the productive and restful seasons in our year.
An unfurling thought about how there are naturally seasons of high productivity and seasons of lower productivity on our year, and how we can put systems in place to get us through the seasons of lower productivity.
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Jan 9, 2023
The impact of your environment
(a full transcript is available on the website)
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Jan 8, 2023
The mini rituals that help you get going
(a full transcript is available on the website)
The Creative Habit by Twyla Tharp β https://amzn.to/3IxoAoY
Atomic Habits by James Clear β https://amzn.to/3VYPCs9
Podcast Recording workflow β https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBYKbMKxKas
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Jan 7, 2023
The passion and perseverance to see long term goals through
Talking through my annual theme and how it's connected to this experimental podcast you're listening to.
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Jan 6, 2023
What do we do with our billion ideas?
(a full transcript is available on the website)
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Jan 5, 2023
How to start so you can keep going
(a full transcript is available on the website)
I don't think Leo's original post is live anymore? But here's the closest one I could find right now β https://zenhabits.net/beginners-guide-to-running/
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Jan 4, 2023
The system will get you there
(a full transcript is available on the website)
A closely related previous episode β https://share.transistor.fm/s/24c442d8
James Clear's excerpt on systems from his book β https://jamesclear.com/goals-systems
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Jan 3, 2023
Iterate to perfection
(a full transcript is available on the website)
That story I mention is from the book, Art and Fear β https://austinkleon.com/2020/12/10/quantity-leads-to-quality-the-origin-of-a-parable/
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Jan 2, 2023
Writing as a remote worker
(a full transcript is available on the website)
Edit a few days later: Found where I heard the low-res/high-res term: https://www.karlsutt.com/articles/communicating-effectively-as-a-developer/
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Jan 1, 2023
Write it down on paper
(a full transcript is available on the website)
Study on writing on paper β https://blog.frontiersin.org/2021/03/24/study-shows-stronger-brain-activity-after-writing-on-paper-than-on-tablet-or-smartphone/
Object permanence β https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Object_permanence
Forward looking annual reviews β https://chrisguillebeau.com/decide-now
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Dec 31, 2022
Set goals you can control
(a full transcript is available on the website)
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Dec 30, 2022
Understanding the difference between urgent and important
(a full transcript is available on the website)
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens β https://amzn.to/3G6WYUW
Info on Eisenhower's Matrix β https://jamesclear.com/eisenhower-box
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Dec 29, 2022
Be in charge of how you spend your time.
(a full transcript is available on the website)
Time Blocking β https://www.calnewport.com/blog/2013/12/21/deep-habits-the-importance-of-planning-every-minute-of-your-work-day/
Rubber Ducking β https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Rubber_duck_debugging
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Dec 28, 2022
The best time to start is now
(a full transcript is available on the website)
Atomic Habits by James Clear β https://amzn.to/3WRAgXz
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Dec 27, 2022
Creating momentum
(a full transcript is available on the website)
Nathan Barry's blog post β https://nathanbarry.com/commitment-changed-career/
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