Reddit

• We tested Alarmy and share our thoughts. This app was recommended to us more than once on r/productivity as a great way to jumpstart your day.
• We have our own subreddit now. Check out r/okproductive for more discussion about topics covered on our podcast, make recommendations, and get to know the hosts!

Apps Reviewed

• Alfred - a fast and powerful command center/assistant on Apple products 

Security and Privacy

• AdGuard - a really good way to block unwanted ads
• Encrypt.me - a simple, reliable, and secure VPN
• Adblock Plus - another great browser extension for blocking all the ads
• Avast - really good antivirus and web protect that runs on Macs and Windows
• KeePass - a file system for managing your passwords that is free and open source
• KeePass Tusk - a browser extension on Firefox and Chrome for auto-filling KeePass usernames and passwords

Cloud Storage

• Dropbox - securely sync files across all your computers
• GDrive - Google's place for creating and sharing files online and on your computer
• Adobe Creative Cloud - powerful tools for creating media
• Apple iCloud - store your photos and files easily from Apple devices

Notes and Tasks

• Bear - a focused writing app for Apple devices
• Todoist - an online todo list and task manager
• Google Docs - Google's tool for creating and editing online documents
• Grammarly - an online tool for checking your spelling and grammar

Miscellaneous

• Skyfonts - an easy way to search for and install fonts
• DND Me - do not disturb me. really, go away
• Rocket - a Mac app that makes it easy to add emoji wherever you're typing

Big Announcement - Reviewing Atomic Habit By James Clear in the next episode

• Post Your Thoughts On the Book at Our Reddit Thread

We asked /r/productivity on Reddit what one thing has had the most benefit to productivity. Lots of great answers and explanations, some answers came up multiple times (we'll explore those another time), and very few folks could pick just one thing.

Also discussed in this episode:

Leo’s One Thing: Writing things down...

• for record keeping (sleep, exercise, health, etc.)
• to collect thoughts (reviewing, reflecting, and venting)
• to avoid interruptions (finish what you start, save the rest for later)
• as reminders for later (todo lists, idea bucket)

Erik’s One Thing: Focus

• Treat social media as a write-only medium
• Remove badges and notifications on phone
• Remove noisy or distracting apps
• Use Do Not Disturb, A LOT
• Use apps that block distractions
• Set aside blocks of time for email, code reviews, and "necessary" distractions

Products mentioned

• Todoist
• Bear
• News Feed Eradicator for Facebook
• Screen Time
• Instagram (post to FB, IG, Twitter all at once)
• Alarmy

Breaking down large projects

• Work is rarely handed to us in small, easily achievable pieces
• Breaking a project down into small pieces gives you a map
• Measuring your progress improves your odds of succeeding

Know your limitations

• You only have so much capacity to do work
• Time, energy, resources, people, knowledge
• Identify what your constraints are

Start whittling away

• Name a few things that represent success for the project
• What needs to happen to accomplish each of those things?
• Prioritize your list
• How can you group similar tasks?

Don’t break everything down at once

• You can’t do everything at once
• You need a list of small things to work on for a short period of time
• When do you resume the project breakdown?
• Doing this exercise takes time and is part of the project
• Ask yourself if you’re close enough to stop

Overview of the process

1. Write down your constraints (time, energy, resources, people, knowledge)
2. Identify your main objectives (this is what success looks like)
3. Prioritize that list
4. Describe high-level steps to achieve each objective
5. Repeat numbers 2 through 4 for each step until you can start working
6. Resume the process when you need to

A fun Twitter exercise

• From Tinker Elle (@elle91): Without using the title of your job, tell me what you do.
• Erik: I help people find ways that tech and tabletop games can make them feel powerful.
• Leo: I teach people about productivity and technology in order to make their lives easier.

Adjust your definition of "productive"

• Raising and loving children is productive
• Don’t over strain yourself
• Your priorities change once you have kids, too, and sometimes it's difficult to imagine just how much the little ones can change your world for the better
• Try this: research how much it would cost to hire someone to do a home-related task for you vs. doing it yourself

Include your children and establish boundaries

• Sleep when they sleep
• The YMCA has great childcare options
• Have a room for work as a physical boundary between working on your business and working with your kids
• Have a support network for help: daycare, babysitter, relatives, friends with kids, and so on
• Teach your child (as early as 3-4) to play independently and be safe — they'll carry this with them into adulthood

Break down large projects

• Small, manageable goals are good in general
• Small, achievable tasks are especially good when the kids are home
• Use timers to allocate "me time" and "us time"

Products mentioned in this episode

• Echo Dot: Kids Edition
• Circle Round Podcast
• Wow in the World Podcast
• Bounce houses near you
• Rock Painting Kits
• Board games for little kids (psst, follow Erik for more board games)

In the next episode...

• We'll talk more about breaking down tasks
• We're still looking for books to read and review!

How to decide when to say no

• The Derek Sivers way: “Hell yeah” or “No”
• If you're in unfamiliar territory: “Hell no” or “Let’s try”
• Many decisions aren’t permanent

Finish what’s on your plate first

• Identify the commitments that are important to you and your values
• What are your priorities?
• Where does an opportunity fit in?
• Goal: don’t dilute yourself

Alternate Strategies

• Stop thinking in terms of “yes” and “no” and make a counter-proposal
• You don’t need to respond to everything that comes your way
• Ask about when your decision should be made
• Defer until you have the time or it becomes urgent

Making Boundaries

• Make Yourself Valuable!

"Never half-ass two things. Whole-ass one thing." -Advice from Ron Swanson

• Book Review Suggestions

Covered in this episode

• New Years Resolutions vs Year in Review
• The importance of reflection and guidance
• How a Year in Review helps give direction and addresses changes you should make
• How to deal with the unexpected throughout the years
• How to address new opportunities
• How do you measure results and asses your goals
• How do you cope and adjust for changes
• Be Honest and Forthright - Lying to Yourself Only Hurts You
• Understand What You Want Out Of It
• Get Feedback or Outside Perspective from Others

Previous Episodes

• New Year’s Resolutions
• Power of Habit
• Time Wasters
• Goals and Actions

Year In Review

• Leo’s Year in Review
• Lansing Codes
• Hacktoberfest

Movies

• MoviePass
• Blockers
• Grave of the Fireflies
• Ralph Breaks the Internet
• Mission Impossible: Fallout
• Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse

Nintendo Switch Games

• Breath of the Wild
• Snipperclips
• Super Mario Party
• Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
• Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker
• Rayman Legends Definitive Edition
• Crash Bandicoot N.Sane Trilogy
• New Super Mario Bros U Deluxe
• GHAMIC - Leo's Twitch Stream
• January 22 9pm - Next Stream 
• Poll for Next Stream - Water or Ice?

Music by Murkok from Fugue

Previous Episodes 

• Power of Habits
• Goals and Actions
• Top Apps Episode
• A Sleepy Episode

Covered in this episode:

• What is a time waster?
• What time of day are you most likely to waste time or get interrupted?
• Are you doing things that bring you joy, motivate you, or satisfy one of your needs?
• Are you consciously choosing to waste time?
• How can you quickly identify when and how you are wasting time?
• How many ways can people interrupt you?
• Which time wasters should be the first to go?
• What are some strategies for limiting and wasting time intentionally?
• How can some scheduled downtime improve your productivity?

Links

• Screen Time on iOS
• Toggl
• Pomodoro
• Rescue Time
• Time Doctor
• Pi-hole

Leo and Erik talk about their experience working on their own and staying sane. They give tips on knowing if you are the right fit, how to be prepared financially, how to stay organizing, and maintain a reasonable revenue as freelancer or business owner.

Music by Leah Fitch

Show Notes and Links

• CamCard
• HealthCare.Gov

Erik Gillespie and Leo Dion give some travel recommendations depending on your situation. Whether you are looking to budget travel on a family vacation or its business travel to a conference,  this episode has some great tips on being a great tip planner.

Music by Leah Fitch

Show Notes and Links

• Transportation
  • Amtrak
  • Lyft
  • Delta Airlines + Lyft
  • Best Credit Cards For Travel (Forbes)
  • South Shore Line
  • Hertz Gold
• Destinations
  • AirBnB
  • KOA
  • Marriott Rewards
  • 101 Restaurants Where Kids Eat Free (Mr. Free Stuff)
• Kid stuff
  • Ergobaby Baby Carrier 
  • Mac Sports Collapsible Folding Outdoor Utility Wagon

In the second part of our episode, Leo goes over the productivity apps he uses for time tracking, scheduling, todo lists, reminders, and note-taking.

Music by Leah Fitch

Show Notes and Links

Previous Episodes

• Episode 6. List #1 – Top Disciplines Episode (Part 1)
• Episode 3. Goals and Actions
  • Leo talks about scheduling todo items
• Episode 1. A Sleepy Episode
  • Leo talks about sleep tracking

Time Tracking and Scheduling Apps

• Toggl
• Google Calendar
• Doodle
• Time Doctor

Reminders and Todo List Apps

• Reminders (Apple)
• Todoist
• Google Inbox

Note Apps

• Evernote
• Notes (Apple)
• Google Docs
• Bear (Apple)