Asian Efficiency

Asian Efficiency

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Asian Efficiency episodes

  • Start the Year by Letting Go

    Before you set new goals for the year, do something more powerful. Let go. In this Wisdom Wednesday episode, I’ll explain why holding on to what’s not working slows you down, how letting go creates momentum, and one simple way to start the new year lighter, clearer, and more focused.

    Try Gusto today at gusto.com/TPS, and get 3 months free when you run your first payroll.

    Links:

    Become a member of TPS+ and get ad-free episodes a week before anyone else with other great bonuses like the famous “One Tweak A Week” shirt.

    • Gusto
    • 25X Productivity Coaching
    • If you enjoyed this episode, follow the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Overcast, Pocket Casts or your favorite podcast player. It’s easy, you’ll get new episodes automatically, and it also helps the show. You can also leave a review!

      7 min
    • Weekly Review Guide: Focus on Values, Not Tasks (TPS593)

      Productive but still unfulfilled? Your weekly review might be tracking the wrong things. Most people focus on tasks and efficiency, but the most effective weekly planning focuses on values and direction. In this productivity episode, learn Scott Young's values-based weekly review technique, use the “5 Whys” to connect tasks to deeper motivations, and apply Stephen Covey's “First Things First” philosophy to finally feel satisfied with how you spend your time.

      Try Gusto today at gusto.com/TPS, and get 3 months free when you run your first payroll.

      Visit asianefficiency.com for more productivity tips and tactics.

      Cheat Sheet:

      Become a member of TPS+ and get ad-free episodes a week before anyone else with other great bonuses like the famous “One Tweak A Week” shirt.

      • The one ground rule that keeps this episode from going completely off the rails [00:29]
      • Top 3 Productivity Resources [02:51]
      • Why checking off tasks can still leave you feeling behind (and what fixes it) [04:17]
      • The five rules Thanh uses to design a “perfect week” no matter how busy life gets [24:47]
      • How to make the weekly review fast, sustainable, and impossible to skip [29:59]
      • Links:
        • Gusto
        • 25X Productivity Coaching
        • Mike does the 5 Whys: Why Pursuing the Work-Life Balance Myth is Hurting Your Productivity (TPS139)
        • Book: Ultralearning: Master Hard Skills, Outsmart the Competition, and Accelerate Your Career by Scott Young
        • Book: First Things First by Stephen Covey
        • Fantastical
        • Scott Young: The Most Underrated Productivity Technique
        • Clockspeed: Winning Industry Control in the Age of Temporary Advantage by Charles Fine
        • Achieving Next-Level Productivity Through Conative Understanding w/ David Kolbe (TPS197)
        • CABIN: Off the Grid Adventures with a Clueless Craftsman
        • Productivity Academy
        • The Productivity Show on Youtube
        • The Productivity Show Youtube Clips
        • Become a member of TPS+
        • Take the Productivity Quiz
        • If you enjoyed this episode, follow the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Overcast, Pocket Casts or your favorite podcast player. It’s easy, you’ll get new episodes automatically, and it also helps the show. You can also leave a review!

          34 min
        • Mindful Productivity: Being Present During the Holidays

          Struggling to enjoy the holidays without feeling rushed? The secret to a meaningful season isn't doing more—it's being more present. In this mindful productivity episode, discover why divided attention makes time feel shorter, how presence actually slows life down, and one simple technique to enjoy your holidays more without adding anything to your schedule.

          This episode is brought to you by 25X Productivity Coaching – double your personal productivity, be happier at work, and have an extra 5 hours a week of free time.

          Links:

          Become a member of TPS+ and get ad-free episodes a week before anyone else with other great bonuses like the famous “One Tweak A Week” shirt.

          • 25X Productivity Coaching
          • If you enjoyed this episode, follow the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Overcast, Pocket Casts or your favorite podcast player. It’s easy, you’ll get new episodes automatically, and it also helps the show. You can also leave a review!

            6 min
          • Organizing Your Digital Life: Practical Tips For Files, Notes, And Photos (TPS592)

            Feeling overwhelmed by digital clutter? In this episode, Thanh and Brooks share practical tips to organize your files, meeting notes, and photos across all your devices and cloud storage. Learn how to centralize your assets, create smart folder structures, use consistent naming conventions, and leverage AI tools for effortless organization. Discover the 3-2-1 backup strategy and simple declutter habits to keep your digital life streamlined and stress-free.

            Get 20% off your first order: dripdrop.com and use promo code tps.

            Visit www.asianefficiency.com for more productivity tips and tactics.

            Cheat Sheet:

            Become a member of TPS+ and get ad-free episodes a week before anyone else with other great bonuses like the famous “One Tweak A Week” shirt.

            • World Cup plans… and a sneak peek at how big events can hijack your focus [01:02].
            • Top 3 Productivity Resources [03:44].
            • Local vs cloud isn’t either/or—here’s the hybrid approach that keeps things fast and safe [06:03].
            • Files aren’t “files” anymore… so what are you actually organizing now? [07:33].
            • The naming move that makes “future you” grateful (and searching effortless) [15:37].
            • Confession time: why even the organized people stop naming photos—and what they do instead [16:47].
            • Clicking folders is dead—this is how to jump to anything in seconds [23:49].
            • The “3 keywords” trick that quietly turns chaos into instant retrieval [25:04].
            • Version clutter is real—how to keep drafts without drowning in V12_final_FINAL [25:51].
            • Your most irreplaceable digital assets might not be what you think… and why backups matter more than ever [30:27].
            • The 3-2-1 rule explained with a real-world disaster scenario you’ll actually remember [31:18].
            • PDFs, transcripts, and the “digital filing cabinet” strategy that keeps everything accessible [33:25].
            • Meeting transcripts + AI = a productivity unlock most people haven’t noticed yet [34:21].
            • The “Weekly Synthesizer” workflow that finds patterns you’d miss—even if you took perfect notes [41:08].
            • One small action this week that starts compounding immediately [46:15].
            • Links:
              • DripDrop
              • 25X Productivity Coaching
              • New Order: A Decluttering Handbook for Creative Folks (and Everyone Else) by Fay Wolf
              • Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World by Cal Newport
              • Productivity Academy
              • The Productivity Show on Youtube
              • The Productivity Show Youtube Clips
              • Become a member of TPS+
              • Take the Productivity Quiz
              • If you enjoyed this episode, follow the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Overcast, Pocket Casts or your favorite podcast player. It’s easy, you’ll get new episodes automatically, and it also helps the show. You can also leave a review!

                48 min
              • Plan Your Week Before It Plans You

                Does your week tend to fill up before you’ve had a chance to decide what actually matters? Too often, we move from meeting to meeting and task to task, reacting rather than choosing, and then wonder why the week felt busy yet unproductive. The problem usually isn’t effort or discipline; it’s that the week was never intentionally shaped in the first place.

                In this encore episode, you’ll learn a simple, realistic weekly planning process that focuses less on perfect schedules and more on making better decisions with your time and energy. You’ll discover how to choose the right moment to plan, identify your true priorities, and build a week that sets you up for small, consistent wins — even when life inevitably disrupts your plans.

                Life insurance is never cheaper than it is today. Get the right life insurance for YOU, for LESS, and save more than fifty percent at selectquote.com/tps.

                Links:

                Become a member of TPS+ and get ad-free episodes a week before anyone else with other great bonuses like the famous “One Tweak A Week” shirt.

                • SelectQuote
                • 25X Productivity Coaching
                • If you enjoyed this episode, follow the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Overcast, Pocket Casts or your favorite podcast player. It’s easy, you’ll get new episodes automatically, and it also helps the show. You can also leave a review!

                  9 min
                • The Hidden Work: Mastering Front Stage Vs. Back Stage Productivity (TPS591)

                  Have you ever felt like you’re constantly performing, but the real work happens behind the scenes?

                  This episode dives into Michael Hyatt’s powerful concept of “Front Stage vs. Back Stage” work from his “Freedom Work” framework. We’ll explore how distinguishing between visible, high-impact tasks like delivering a presentation and essential, behind-the-scenes efforts like organizing travel or marketing yourself can transform your productivity. Learn how to apply an Asian Efficiency lens to this framework, ensuring you’re not just performing, but strategically building your platform and impact. Discover actionable insights to prioritize, delegate, and optimize both types of work for maximum results.

                  Visit Indeed.com/tps to start hiring now.

                  Life insurance is never cheaper than it is today. Get the right life insurance for YOU, for LESS, and save more than fifty percent at selectquote.com/tps.

                  Get 20% off your first order: dripdrop.com and use promo code tps.

                  Visit asianefficiency.com for more productivity tips and tactics.

                  Cheat Sheet:

                  Become a member of TPS+ and get ad-free episodes a week before anyone else with other great bonuses like the famous “One Tweak A Week” shirt.

                  • Top 3 Productivity Resources [02:27].
                  • Why what people see is only a fraction of the work—and how that misunderstanding hurts productivity [05:19].
                  • Real-world examples that reveal the hidden effort behind great performance (including a surprising political analogy) [08:31].
                  • How AI can quietly handle the invisible work so humans can shine where it matters most [16:20].
                  • The subtle imbalance that creates “fake work” and keeps people busy but unnoticed [22:12].
                  • A provocative question: how much prep is actually required for great execution? [27:38].
                  • Links:
                    • Indeed
                    • SelectQuote
                    • DripDrop
                    • Free to Focus: A Total Productivity System to Achieve More by Doing Less
                    • TPS109: Finding Your Focus w/ Michael Hyatt
                    • Black Box Thinking: Growth Mindset and the Secrets of High Performance
                    • JustWatch
                    • 25X Productivity Coaching
                    • Productivity Academy
                    • The Productivity Show on Youtube
                    • The Productivity Show Youtube Clips
                    • Become a member of TPS+
                    • Take the Productivity Quiz
                    • If you enjoyed this episode, follow the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Overcast, Pocket Casts or your favorite podcast player. It’s easy, you’ll get new episodes automatically, and it also helps the show. You can also leave a review!

                      42 min
                    • Lessons From Our Favorite Productivity Books

                      Discover the books that shaped my productivity philosophy and how their core lessons can transform your work and life. From mastering note-taking with the Zettelkasten method to understanding the power of sleep and identifying fake work, this episode shares actionable insights to help you get more done without sacrificing what truly matters.

                      Get Notion, now with Notion Agent at notion.com/tps.

                      Links:

                      Become a member of TPS+ and get ad-free episodes a week before anyone else with other great bonuses like the famous “One Tweak A Week” shirt.

                      • Notion Agent
                      • 25X Productivity Coaching
                      • How to Take Smart Notes: One Simple Technique to Boost Writing, Learning and Thinking
                      • If you enjoyed this episode, follow the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Overcast, Pocket Casts or your favorite podcast player. It’s easy, you’ll get new episodes automatically, and it also helps the show. You can also leave a review!

                        13 min
                      • Automate Your Day: Small Wins for Big Time Savings (TPS590)

                        Feeling overwhelmed by your daily tasks? In this episode, we dive into practical, easy-to-implement automation strategies that will help you win back precious time every single day. Discover how small tweaks, from optimizing your browser to streamlining your morning routine, can lead to massive productivity gains. We’ll share actionable examples and personal insights to help you automate your way to a more efficient and fulfilling day.

                        Sign up for a $1/month trial period at shopify.com/tps.

                        Get Notion, now with Notion Agent at notion.com/tps.

                        Try Gusto today at gusto.com/TPS, and get 3 months free when you run your first payroll.

                        Visit asianefficiency.com for more productivity tips and tactics.

                        Cheat Sheet:

                        Become a member of TPS+ and get ad-free episodes a week before anyone else with other great bonuses like the famous “One Tweak A Week” shirt.

                        • Top 3 Productivity Resources [02:38]
                        • A simple mindset shift that makes automation feel effortless [06:15]
                        • Real-life automations we use that save time and energy every single day [15:41]
                        • How small tweaks can turn routine into something that runs itself [32:09]
                        • The surprisingly simple habit that keeps everything on track [40:24]
                        • Links:
                          • Shopify
                          • Notion Agent
                          • Gusto
                          • Lindy
                          • EooCoo Office Desk Timer Cube Visual Pomodoro Timer
                          • The Phoenix Project: A Novel About IT, DevOps, and Helping Your Business Win
                          • meross Outdoor Smart Plug
                          • 5 Examples of Tasks You Can Automate To Save Yourself An Hour a Day (TPS262)
                          • Comet AI Browser
                          • Elgato Stream Deck MK.2
                          • Keyboard Maestro
                          • Alfred
                          • Raycast for Windows
                          • Velja
                          • BrowserTamer
                          • 25X Productivity Coaching
                          • Productivity Academy
                          • The Productivity Show on Youtube
                          • The Productivity Show Youtube Clips
                          • Become a member of TPS+
                          • Take the Productivity Quiz
                          • If you enjoyed this episode, follow the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Overcast, Pocket Casts or your favorite podcast player. It’s easy, you’ll get new episodes automatically, and it also helps the show. You can also leave a review!

                            46 min
                          • Why a Creative Hobby Might Be Your Missing Productivity Tool

                            How often do your most productive breakthroughs happen when you’re off the clock? There’s a reason for that. In this episode, you’ll discover why the secret to sharper focus, better problem-solving, and more motivation might actually be found outside your usual workflow. A creative hobby—whether it’s a racket sport, photography, painting, or anything you genuinely enjoy—can reset your brain in ways traditional productivity hacks can’t touch.

                            In this encore episode, we’ll show you why adding a little creativity to your routine might be the most productive decision you make all year.

                            Get 20% off your first order: dripdrop.com and use promo code tps.

                            Links:

                            Become a member of TPS+ and get ad-free episodes a week before anyone else with other great bonuses like the famous “One Tweak A Week” shirt.

                            • DripDrop
                            • 25X Productivity Coaching
                            • If you enjoyed this episode, follow the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Overcast, Pocket Casts or your favorite podcast player. It’s easy, you’ll get new episodes automatically, and it also helps the show. You can also leave a review!

                              9 min
                            • 6 Underrated Books Every Productive Person Should Read (TPS589)

                              Ever wonder why some books quietly change your life while the big bestsellers barely move the needle? In this episode, we spotlight six underrated reads that never make the productivity “top 10” lists—but absolutely should. These are the books that have shaped how we think, plan, lead, and make decisions, even though they rarely get the attention they deserve.

                              If you’re looking for your next meaningful read (and not just the next trendy one) this is an episode you won’t want to miss.

                              Masterclass.com/TPS for up to as much as 50% off.

                              Try Gusto today at gusto.com/TPS, and get 3 months free when you run your first payroll.

                              Get 20% off your first order: dripdrop.com and use promo code tps.

                              Visit asianefficiency.com for more productivity tips and tactics.

                              Cheat Sheet:

                              Become a member of TPS+ and get ad-free episodes a week before anyone else with other great bonuses like the famous “One Tweak A Week” shirt.

                              • An unexpected air-fryer trick you’ll wish you knew sooner [00:29]
                              • Top 3 Productivity Resources [01:30]
                              • What really makes a book “underrated”? [04:40]
                              • The journaling book that unlocks 3,001 questions about yourself [07:32]
                              • The framework that helps you finally finish what you start [18:56]
                              • How AI can quietly supercharge your productivity systems [24:36]
                              • A smarter way to get past resistance and overwhelm [25:38]
                              • Why “The Road Less Stupid” might save you from costly mistakes [26:40]
                              • How a simple pre-mortem can prevent future regrets [28:19]
                              • The visual-thinking skill most presentations are missing [34:59]
                              • The human-evolution insight that explains modern behavior [40:49]
                              • Four habits that set exceptional leaders apart [46:58]
                              • Links:
                                • Masterclass
                                • Gusto
                                • DripDrop
                                • 25X Productivity Coaching
                                • Atomic Habits — James Clear
                                • The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People — Stephen R. Covey
                                • The Power of Full Engagement — Jim Loehr & Tony Schwartz
                                • How to Have a Good Day — Caroline Webb
                                • How to Stop Worrying and Start Living — Dale Carnegie
                                • 30 Lessons for Living: Tried and True Advice from the Wisest Americans — Karl Pillemer
                                • 3001 Questions All About Me
                                • Start Finishing: How to Go from Idea to Done — Charlie Gilkey
                                • The Road Less Stupid: Advice from the Chairman of the Board — Keith J. Cunningham
                                • Slide:ology: The Art and Science of Creating Great Presentations — Nancy Duarte
                                • Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind — Yuval Noah Harari
                                • The Four Obsessions of an Extraordinary Executive — Patrick Lencioni
                                • Productivity Academy
                                • The Productivity Show on Youtube
                                • The Productivity Show Youtube Clips
                                • Become a member of TPS+
                                • Take the Productivity Quiz
                                • If you enjoyed this episode, follow the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Overcast, Pocket Casts or your favorite podcast player. It’s easy, you’ll get new episodes automatically, and it also helps the show. You can also leave a review!

                                  53 min

                                About Asian Efficiency

                                From the publisher's feed

                                Asian Efficiency is the leading website on time management and productivity. Learn how to be efficient, get things done (GTD), and stay motivated.