“Let it sink…”

Naturally, I had impostor syndrome when I started writing these newsletters. I mean, who let me near a keyboard with all these thoughts? No, I need to learn something first before I'm ready.

But then, screw it - let’s embrace imperfection! Haters are welcome to throw rotten tomatoes. Feedback is a gift, after all.

Power moves

I have a weird “hobby” - I enjoy building systems and organizing stuff.

Years ago, I was just a regular person, like everyone else.

I lived in my mini-chaos, enjoying an absence of systems. Or at least, I thought I enjoyed it.

Then I started dating my future wife.

One of the first things I remember?

My entire wardrobe got reorganized. Everything was classified, and each item had a designated spot. It felt counterintuitive for a “mature” man.

But then she literally added color to my life.

Before, I only bought clothes as long as they were black (to this day, I have no idea why).

My wife introduced me to my first colorful items. It felt strange at first, but I quickly realized they made me pop.

At some point, I went rogue and started buying clothes without her supervision. This drove her crazy. The items were nice, sure, but they didn’t match anything else in my wardrobe.

I looked like a parrot: bright, but tasteless and silly.

So, we created our first “system” together. I was only allowed to buy clothes in the following colors: blue, red, white, gray, and black (mostly for footwear).

Why? Because

• They are business casual.

• These colors always match.

• I could grab whatever was weather-appropriate and just go.

I loved it.

That started my obsession with optimizing my life even more.

My Systems

The next breakthrough came when I read Getting Things Done. I hated how simple, powerful, and effective it was - mainly because I didn’t come up with it myself.

Let me skip the boring part of my experiments and dive straight into the juicy details.

For different purposes, I use different tools:

• Time Management: Protect my boundaries and sanity.

• Task Management: Don’t forget important stuff.

• Mind Management: Think more clearly.

Time Management

Of course, the first tool is a calendar. It saves upcoming events and time-specific tasks.

Here’s what I put in my calendar:

• Meetings

• Appointments

• Time blocks for essentials

Time blocking helps me stay honest with myself. I learned this from my time-optimistic wife.

Once, she made a long to-do list for the day.

I blinked, gulped, and asked her to walk me through it hour by hour. As you’ve guessed, we barely accomplished half of it.

Since then, I’ve started blocking time for important but less time-sensitive items:

• Workout sessions

• Lunch – skipping meals is not an option for me; I get very cranky if I do!

• “Deep work” sessions here and there (I still need to work on my discipline).

I used to keep birthdays, anniversaries, and important date reminders here.

In my defense, I was young and stupid.

Now, there’s no place for them in my calendar.

I use Notion Calendar for personal planning. It’s free, has a macOS client, and consolidates all my calendars.

Pro tip: My wife and I share a family calendar for important stuff. For example, if I schedule car maintenance, she knows when the car won’t be available for drifts and races with her girlfriends.

Task Management

David Allen said it best: Your mind is for having ideas, not holding them.

So I offload every idea and task into Todoist. This is not sponsored, so I use their free plan of the service.

Why not keep tasks in my calendar? Because calendars don’t handle overdue tasks well. Life happens, and rescheduling is annoying.

This is where I keep non-time-sensitive tasks.

Pro tips:

1. I keep all birthdays and anniversaries in an "anniversaries" project with annual reminders. However, for special occasions like, "Oh God! Don't you dare forget our anniversary of the first kiss next year," I might set an extra reminder a week in advance - to book a luxury trip across all five continents for 45 days.

   I also add the birthdays of my friends’ kids there. I like to think they’re touched when I remember to greet them.

2. My grocery list is another Todoist project. Throughout the week, I fill it (often dictating them using Siri for convenience). When I’m at the store, I don’t have to struggle to remember what I need. This also helps me avoid buying unnecessary items. Stick to the list!

Mind Management

My memory is terrible. Preparing for trips stresses me out because I always fear forgetting something.

Once, we went on vacation, and I left the proprietary charger for my eBook reader at home. I ended up reading my wife’s physical books about the adventures of an insecure female. My brain got damaged, and it’s never fully recovered since.

Lesson learned.

Now, I use Notion to create checklist templates. One click generates a fresh list, and I cross off items as I pack.

I have checklists for most of my projects: trips, tax filings, house maintenance, this newsletter preparation, etc.

Peace of mind.

Other systems I’ve built in Notion:

• Recipe Database: Complete with pictures. Perfect for batch cooking. Just scroll through the pictures and pick whatever we feel like cooking for the week.

• Workout Library: I work out at home, following YouTube classes. I have YouTube Premium - no ads! I treat this subscription as my gym membership. I categorize YouTube classes by duration, difficulty, and muscle group, making it easy to pick a workout.

• Content Libraries for Books/Movies/Shows: Have you ever opened Netflix and spent 10-15 minutes scrolling? To many options, to difficult to decide? That’s why, when I hear a good recommendation, I add it to my list and forget about it until the time comes.

• I've got a ton more databases and projects in Notion, like my entire HomeOS, wish list, this newsletter project… If you're curious to dive deeper, let me know - I might just put together a whole new edition dedicated to my Notion adventures.

When I finish a book, I add notes to my database.

Later, I process these notes in Obsidian…

High-Quality Notes in Obsidian

For deeper thinking (yes, a bit of a selfish claim, I admit), I use Obsidian. It’s a note-taking app that helps keep ideas organized and connected.

There I collect my curated notes.

Each note is an “atomic idea” that links to others, creating a train of thought - hello, Zettelkasten.

At the moment, I have over 1,500 notes in my digital garden, which is just a few years old.

Sometimes, I grab a coffee and wander through them, following links and connections. It’s a great way to spark “a-ha” moments.

Some of these ideas even make it into this newsletter, like this one.

To Wrap It Up

Here’s how I handle “if-then” scenarios:

• “Can we schedule a meeting this week?” → “Let me check if my calendar is judging me.”

• “Do you have a lot of work to do today?” → “Hmm, let me see if my to-do app is screaming or quietly weeping.”

• “Do you remember the professional way to say ‘I told you so’?” → “Vaguely. Luckily, I wrote it down in my notes. Ah, here it is: ‘This was identified early on as a likely outcome.’”

Till next time!

Our favorite digital finds

Short & Sweet

How the "two-day rule" can make your daily work-life much easier - 4 min read.

The "two-day rule" is a simple way to build habits and stay on track. If you skip a task today, just make sure you do it tomorrow. It's flexible, forgiving, and helps you avoid losing momentum while forming consistent habits.

Think It Takes 21 Days to Form a Habit? Science Says Think Again - 3 min read.

Apparently, we need to try harder if we want a habit to stick. I’ve always felt that 21 days was about nothing, especially for endurance-related workouts.

New Neuroscience Reveals 6 Secrets That Will Make You More Productive - 9 min read.

A good recap and reminder about how to protect our inner peace and keep doing what we're supposed to do.

Press Play

I discovered this gem just a few weeks ago - almost 38 years after it was released! One of those songs that gives me goosebumps. Hope you have a decent headset to enjoy it as much as I do (Airpods Pro 2).

Add this to your shelf

Matthew McConaughey, the famous Hollywood actor, director, and producer, published a book after turning 50.

In it, he reflects on his successes, failures, joys, and challenges - sharing the lessons life has taught him.

He talks about honesty, reducing stress, having fun, causing less harm, being a good person, finding purpose, and staying true to yourself.

Unpacking the routines of interesting people

Elon Musk is probably one of the most well-known entrepreneurs of our time. Setting aside his political involvement, which has led to polarized opinions about him, Elon serves as an inspiration for his radical approach to time management. This allows him to oversee multiple ventures of immense scale, such as Tesla, SpaceX, X, and more.

Interesting and cool facts:

Shower is a Must: Elon often skips breakfast in the morning to save a few minutes for work. However, there's one thing he never skips - his morning shower, which he claims gives him energy for the day.

Working Out: Unlike many famous figures, Musk is not known for prioritizing workouts. In fact, he has said that if he didn't have to, he wouldn't work out at all. If you're lucky enough to catch him exercising, it would likely be either cardio or lifting weights in front of a TV. Occasionally mixed with some martial arts.

Time Allocation: As the leader of several large companies, Musk needs to manage his time wisely. He dedicates 90% of his working hours to Tesla and SpaceX, primarily focusing on design and engineering, while the remaining 10% goes toward his other ventures.

Watch-worthy clips

This guy (had to copy-paste his name - El Estepario Siberiano) is arguably the most viral drummer on TikTok and YouTube. His skills are unreal. But his story shows that “being talented” is kind of a myth. Definitely worth spending 15 minutes of your time on.

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