This isn’t going to be your normal “New Year” productivity podcast. You may or may not know that a few days after this podcast is released, it will be the start of a new Chinese New Year, or more accurately called Lunar New Year.

5,000 years of Asian culture can’t be wrong, so since this is Asian Efficiency, we are going to talk about some of the lessons from Lunar New Year traditions, and how we can apply them to have a more productive and happy 2020. So Happy Year of the Metal Rat!

Thanks to Freshbooks for supporting The Productivity Show. Freshbooks is offering our listeners a free 30-day trial, no catch and no credit card required. Go to Freshbooks.com/tps and enter TPS in the "How did you hear about us" section to get started.

Cheat Sheet:

Thanh and Brooks' top 3 favorite productivity tools for this week [2:37]

What this year's Chinese sign is and why it is such a good omen [10:52]

Why we work on being productive in the first place [13:02]

How these elements of the Lunar New Year can help anybody, regardless of heritage or ethnicity [15:28]

What can be learned from the Chinese traditions of giving red envelopes for the new year [23:39]

Spring cleaning and the sweeping away of our demons for the new year [32:45]

Why you should be wary of being too ambitious with your new year's goals [37:27]

Links:

Freshbooks

Just Timers

Logiix Peels Airpod Case

Mixtiles

3 Keys to Planning the Perfect Week (TPS156)

How to Prioritize Your Todo List With A Sheet of Paper

Productive Networking: 5 Secrets To Connect That Anyone Can Do (TPS276)

Giftology: The Art and Science of Using Gifts to Cut Through the Noise, Increase Referrals, and Strengthen Client Retention

How To Be Productive Through Illness and Recovery (TPS256)

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