The Pro Letter #2
Note: Welcome! I am the ginger man behind the profile picture and what you’ll get today is 1:
1. Quote
2. Productivity Tip
3. Life Hack
Enjoy!
Quote
‘Don’t be afraid to use your curiosity to
find solutions and make improvements’
I knew I'd heard something like this before - using curiosity as a positive charge and letting it make change. It most likely is a spin on the Einstein quote 'I have no special talent, I am only passionately curious'.
Our curiosity is something we take for granted. Some people simply have very little and some are forever curious and that’s how they lead their lives.
I see myself in the middle – I like to play the safe card, but I’d prefer to be at the latter end of the scale. I think this is where we all need to be, and this is where we’d have the most fun and energy.
Nothing is better than making and seeing improvements, even if only incremental. Letting ourselves be curious allows for that.
Think of what you wouldn’t know if you were never curious!
Productivity Tip
‘The ultimate productivity tip is saying NO’
You are allowed to say no. It’s not illegal. The police won’t knock on your door. You won’t be judged. You won’t lose your job. Someone else will drink the pints.
I spent the first 25 years of my life saying yes to everything (I’m a bit older now). I don’t regret it, as it led to some of the best experiences and opportunities. What clicked at 25 was finding myself saying yes to things I clearly didn’t want to do - something most will be guilty of.
Saying yes to only satisfy other people ultimately leads to forgetting what you enjoy doing and why you are even doing these things.
The turning point was realising I could take ownership of my decisions. Yes you can take ownership and yes decisions are a choice, so why let others pre populate every decision for you.
Take ownership and make decisions for you.
Say NO more often!
Life hack
‘Consciously create a morning routine,
do not just let the morning happen’
Mornings can be a horrendous experience. Getting out of bed can feel like climbing Everest, brushing your teeth can feel like you’re in an Olympic 100 metre sprint, the morning chaos can make you feel like you haven’t even been near a bed.
The auto pilot morning routine is stumbling unconsciously through the pits of hell for an hour before leaving the house or starting work.
Fix this by creating a morning routine. The simplest way to do this is by acknowledging it. Think about what needs done in a relatively logical order. This can be achieved the night before or in those minutes immediately after you’ve woken.
Trust me, having some sort of order of service for the morning and laying the foundation for morning habits will change your life.
Alternatively, there’s the minute by minute schedule that many practise (or claim they do)!
Try by starting this simple way and make small improvements each day/week/month.
You’ll soon be leaping out of bed and enjoying morning tranquillity,
… unless there’s kids or pets involved! Or kids AND pets!
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Now, go smash your week!
Keith - ProductivityPro