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Episode 172: Hacks to Maximize Productivity
1.7k Plays2 years ago
Want to get more done in less time?
Before I say anything else, hear me when I say this:
I don’t think life is about being as productive as you can.
The goal of a productivity hack isn’t to help you produce an endless amount of work. It’s to help you get your work done easily and efficiently. In doing so, you have more time for the other important things in your life— your family and friends, hobbies, and health.
Our latest podcast episode dives into many of the productivity hacks that work in our home and business. We elaborated on several of them in the corresponding blog post / show notes and added other practices that can help you have more time for the things that matter.
Use my special link zen.ai/daveyandkrista and the code "daveyandkrista" to save 30% off your first three months of Zencastr professional. #madeonzencastr
Find it Quickly Here (in the podcast):
0:00 Intro
5:25 Morning and evening routine
7:01 End the work day transition
10:57 Identify one goal for the month
13:37 Block Scheduling
15:32 Prioritize more productive tasks when you are at peak energy and vice versa for least productive tasks
16:47 Batch tasks, meetings, meal prep, etc
18:43 Get outside in the morning
21:52 Keep a running list of ideas
Get access to the resources and show notes: https://daveyandkrista.com/productivity-hacks-entrepreneurs/
Recommended
Transcript
Enhancing Focus with Productivity Hacks
00:00:05
Speaker
You know, I love reviewing the ways that I'm spending my time and learning new productivity hacks because I find that even small tweaks once in a while to my daily routine, to my schedule, often results in me being able to get done so much more than I thought I could get done in a given amount of time, which of course gives me more time to focus on the things that I really want to focus on.
Introducing Branding for Creative Businesses
00:00:30
Speaker
Welcome to the Brands at Book Show, where we help creative, service-based businesses build their brands and find more clients. I'm your host, Davy Jones.
00:00:39
Speaker
I love productivity hacks and all things routine.
Guest Krista on Productivity Tips
00:00:43
Speaker
So today I thought I'd have the most productive person I know, Krista, join me on the podcast to discuss some of the ways that we stay productive throughout the day. We've also written a corresponding blog post that contains even more productivity tips and tricks. So be sure to head on over and check that out if you love productivity and routine as much as we do.
00:01:02
Speaker
Or if maybe you need to figure out some ways to start being more productive during your day, that's a great place to start. And like I said, we love this kind of stuff.
Engaging Listeners for Productivity Insights
00:01:11
Speaker
So if you have an excellent tip that we left out, send us a DM on a scram or leave a comment on the blog post. We'd love to hear about it.
00:01:18
Speaker
As always, be sure to check out the show notes at DavianCrista.com for the resources that we mentioned during the episode. I have a favor to ask as well, if you've enjoyed the Brands at Book podcast or this episode, if you found something helpful in the Brands at Book podcast, if you wouldn't mind heading on over to Apple podcasts and leaving us a review, those are really helpful. They're helpful for so many reasons, but most importantly, they let us know that we're on the right track and that we're producing the kind of content that you want to hear about. Thank you so much.
Zencastr: A Podcast Production Tool
00:01:48
Speaker
Alright, so before we jump into this episode, I want to share with you the tool that we're using to record, host, and share this podcast because it has made our lives, honestly, so much easier. And that tool is Zencaster. Before switching to Zencaster, I had accrued a ridiculous amount of subscriptions to make this podcast happen.
00:02:08
Speaker
And I finally realized what a nightmare my podcasting workflow had become when I went to train another team member on it and had to walk them through all of these different apps that I use. So finally, I made the switch. I was pretty nervous about doing so, but it ended up being a seamless experience. And the best part, this one tool Zencast has replaced almost every other app that I use for my podcast, which saves me so much money each month.
00:02:36
Speaker
A few things that I really like about Zencaster and more important to me. First, Zencaster has a video component. It's a lot easier to have a conversation with someone when you can see the person that you're chatting with. Plus, if you do have a video podcast, they make it easy to record and distribute the video.
00:02:54
Speaker
Separate tracks was a must, eliminates chances of audio quality issues. And honestly, there are just too many features for me to cover here. So check out their website for a full list of features. Go to zencaster.com forward slash pricing and use my code Davey and Krista. You'll get 30% off your first three months of zencaster professional. I want you to have the same easy experiences I do for all my podcasting and content needs.
The Irony of Productivity Discussions
00:03:21
Speaker
It's time to share your story.
00:03:24
Speaker
You can also find more information about Zencaster in the show notes and our blog. And remember, we only ever recommend tools that we know and trust. Now, on to the episode. You know, I think it's funny that we're talking about productivity acts on Friday morning. I know. Because I feel so unproductive and so tired.
Daily Routines for Productivity
00:03:50
Speaker
I know I do too.
00:03:52
Speaker
Yes, but here we are talking about some of our favorite productivity acts. And I would say that we're probably, I think, on a continuum of people from maybe less productive to more productive, we're probably towards the more productive end of the spectrum. I think so too. Yeah, and I don't, you know, not to brag, because I actually think sometimes that's not like a gift.
00:04:12
Speaker
Right? Sometimes you get distracted playing virtual Settlers of Catania. Okay. Well, that's not what I meant. I meant just, you know, it's not, I don't think life is about being as productive as you can. Oh yeah. I mean, I think that mentally we need downtime for our brains to reset. Yeah. Yeah. So all that to say, we have learned quite a few ways to be productive, managing multiple businesses and having family and having lots of other things that we like to do outside of work.
00:04:41
Speaker
And productivity is something that people seem to ask about consistently. And anytime we do episodes on productivity and routine, people seem very interested. They're some of our more popular episodes for sure. So what we thought today is that we consolidate
00:04:57
Speaker
a lot of these different productivity hacks that we learn and implement our own life and we actually, we share them. And so you can find a corresponding blog post with this episode that's going to have even more hacks than we talk about here. But these are some of our favorites and we want to just elaborate on some of them as well. Yeah. So do you want to start with morning routines? Start at the beginning.
00:05:21
Speaker
Yeah, we can start, I say we just, we can mention at the outset, we have both a morning routine and an evening routine that we stick to.
Coordinating Routines with a Partner
00:05:30
Speaker
And it makes a huge difference, I think, in the day. And having a routine, even when you're ending the workday, I think helps too, because it allows you to actually hit each act. Yeah, exactly. And actually move on with your day.
00:05:44
Speaker
So I think our morning routines, even they look a little bit different, but I think they respect each other's routine. I think that's something, another thing to say at the outset too is like, if you have a significant other, right? Like if you are, if you are married, this is something, if you're talking about how you can add more productivity to your day or you're talking about, you know, creating morning routines, like that person should be involved in that. Yeah. Cause if I just decide, well, I'm going to exercise from seven to eight every morning. Which you do.
00:06:14
Speaker
David has to be aware of that so he can take care of the kids. Yeah, exactly. So, you know, I know on Monday, Wednesday, Friday that you're going to ride. And so when you ride, I am in charge of getting lunches together for that day for the kids, eating breakfast, getting them breakfast, getting people dressed and ready for school.
00:06:32
Speaker
So that's, I mean, those are important things, but I also think that just having routines in general and a morning routine and evening routine in particular, help us get our day off to a really great start and then also wind down at the end of the day. I think that can be really difficult for entrepreneurs in general, people running a business, but also just busy people in general.
Effective Closing Routines for Workdays
00:06:49
Speaker
you always have, your mind's always going. So I think having a morning evening routine and then even a routine somewhere in the middle there where you do the same things as you and the workday, I think that can be really helpful. Yeah. I think some people call it a closeout procedure or like
00:07:07
Speaker
I like that. If you've ever done CrossFit before, they'll call it sometimes a cash out. That thing you have to do at the end of the workout to complete it. Probably burpees if you're talking about CrossFit. One of the things that I like to do is I like to go through my to-do list for the next day. It just helps me feel organized and prepared for the next day. Helps me zero in on what is the most important thing for me to do the next day. That's one thing that I do as I'm finishing up my work day.
00:07:32
Speaker
And then I actually leave the house. So at the end of our work day, I go to the gym and I work out. And it's not just a matter of it being convenient for me to go at that time, which it is, but it's also like, I leave my office, I shut my computer and I go somewhere that's not work, not anywhere where I can work and I get some exercise. So that really helps me, I think, end the
Improving Sleep with Reading
00:07:56
Speaker
work day.
00:07:56
Speaker
Yeah. I think for me, I try to get through my inbox, at least all of the stuff that is like other people are dependent upon me answering a question. And then my workday ends when the kids wake up or the kids come home. And so I feel like it's just hard. I'm not going to open up my computer when Bennett is awake and crawling around. So yeah, that's kind of how my workday ends.
00:08:16
Speaker
And then at night, I think a lot of our evening routine is focused on winding down and doing some of the things that we enjoy, like we both enjoy reading and then preparing for the next day. So I like to clean the kitchen and do a load of laundry and run the dishwasher and all of those kinds of householdy things.
00:08:32
Speaker
Yeah, absolutely. And I think that we've cut out certain things in our evenings. And this is another important thing to recognize as you're creating a routine is that it needs to be a coherent routine. It needs to fit together. And what I mean is we wake up really early, so it doesn't make sense for us to stay up late watching TV. So we're in bed at eight o'clock and probably asleep by nine or just after nine.
00:09:01
Speaker
light is certainly out by nine so that we can get up early, you know? And I think I've really grown to love that time just reading and sort of being disconnected.
Adapting Routines to Life Changes
00:09:10
Speaker
I will admit that the last few nights I've been, I've distracted myself. With Settlers of Catan? Yeah, because...
00:09:20
Speaker
I have two good friends of mine who are also business partners over at Till, and we've learned that you can play Settlers online against each other. So I have done that. And it has been largely a mistake, only because, you know, like, it's not gonna be worth anything from before you go racing. Yeah, I try to put my phone away once I start reading, and I read a physical book to minimize the blue light. Yeah, I think that I just sleep so much better when I've been reading before going to bed. And I've noticed that the last few nights. I'm gonna hold you to it tonight. Yeah.
00:09:51
Speaker
All that to say, recognizing the season of life you're in as well, I have a really close friend who has kids in high school and his kids are up later, you know? And that's when he connects with his kids as well. So it's like, that doesn't make sense for him to be trying to get in bed at eight o'clock, you know?
Setting Monthly Objectives
00:10:10
Speaker
And it probably just wouldn't work in general. So again, just as we go through these things, just kind of giving people ideas to think through, not necessarily being like, and everybody should,
00:10:19
Speaker
Go to bed early. Go to bed at 9 o'clock. Yeah, you get up early. We also have kids who consistently wake up at 7 a.m. So it doesn't matter how late we all go to bed. They're probably gonna be up at 7 a.m. Exactly. You know, whereas I imagine by the time they're in high school, you know, it's like, yeah, we could actually sleep in, you know? Yeah. Yeah.
00:10:36
Speaker
So anyways, that's a little bit of what our morning and evening routines look like. I've been trying to be better too about not looking at my phone first thing in the morning and trying to say like my first hour is for reading and some quiet time and easing into my day like that. I think that's been really helpful for me as well.
00:10:53
Speaker
Okay, the next thing I'm talking about, and I've talked about this in a podcast episode that I will try to link to, but I do try to identify one goal, all right? And I do this for the month because I really have a hard time thinking through anything more than a month realistically. Like, yes, we set goals for the quarter and the year and so on and so forth. But at the end of the day, like,
00:11:13
Speaker
I make sure I have a big objective for the month, one big objective, that my goals for the week roll up into that one goal for the month and that my goal for the day rolls up into that goal for the week, all right? So it starts with the month and then it's broken down from there, but on a given day, I'm really focusing on one thing. Right. And this is within the business, each business? Yeah, this is within each business. And do you do this for personal life too or is this more business?
00:11:41
Speaker
No, for personal life, I guess I can talk about that too. Like for me, I've just tried to identify things that keep my mind right. Something actually we were talking about this morning at breakfast was like, I like learning something new. And I found that if I'm in a season where I'm not learning something new, things get stale for me. And I'm just maybe not as engaged or not as excited about things. So that could look like a lot of different things. It could be picking up a book on something like a new topic, or it could be
00:12:06
Speaker
finding a new online tool and tinkering with it or something. But I just, it's important for me to like learn something new. And then along those lines too, on my board here next to the one thing that I'm doing for work, I have categories for learning something new. So what am I, what is it that I'm learning new now? And then also having fun slash exercise. I need to do those things personally.
00:12:27
Speaker
Do you feel like your daily things and your weekly things are like breakdowns of your monthly goal? So like if your monthly goal is to launch a course, would your daily things break down to record X module? Like do you try to get specific like that?
00:12:43
Speaker
Yeah, and that's what I meant about everything rolling up into the next thing. So like my daily goal should roll up into
Scheduling for Natural Productivity
00:12:50
Speaker
my weekly goal, which should roll up into my monthly goal. Hopefully I'm not doing things on a daily basis that don't help me achieve my monthly goal, right? Like that when it makes sense. So you're really trying to, and you want to keep it to one thing. I talked about this actually with Steve Perkins recently. So if you haven't checked out that podcast, it's how to focus on the most important things in your business. He has a lot of really great advice, but by choosing that one thing,
00:13:11
Speaker
First, a lot of people I've talked to will admit like they can't focus on more than one thing, right? And I think for a lot of us, that's just true. One thing is enough, right? If you get one crucial thing done a day. And two, you know, I think we have a tendency to make long lists thinking that we're being productive when really, if we just focused on the most productive thing, we'd make more of an impact. Yeah, that makes sense. Another way we stay productive, block scheduling.
00:13:37
Speaker
Yeah, I again, I've recorded an episode on block scheduling as well. But the idea is that we try to schedule things according to sort of the natural rhythm of the day.
00:13:47
Speaker
Yes, I know. So for me, I think both of us feel really creative and really productive in the mornings. So we try to use that first couple hours of the day before the kids wake up to do our most important tasks of the day. So for me, a lot of times that's designing, especially if I'm working on a new product for you, it could be writing. We're not going to do meetings or email or any of the more like things that don't quite move the business forward or meet those goals that you talked about during that productive time.
00:14:15
Speaker
Yeah, one thing that for me, though, I like clearing my inbox first thing in the morning, because it's usually pretty quick, and it provides a quick win. Okay, you know, but in general, it's funny, actually, if anybody's done ancestry.com, you know, like the DNA test, right? Mine doesn't Yeah, yours gives you like, you got to log in, you probably turned off notifications.
00:14:34
Speaker
No, I get them. But mine, I didn't see anywhere that says, Davey says he's a most likely. It will tell me like different traits, you know? A morning person. Yeah. So like it told me, you're more likely to be a morning person, which I already know, but still it's interesting that they can determine that via DNA or whatever. But anyways, all that to say, one of the things it said was that typically if you're a morning person, it's the opposite of that is when you typically feel more creative, you know? So like they said, you might get more creative ideas in the afternoon or evening.
00:15:02
Speaker
I have noticed that sometimes when I'm like kind of tired or like your mind's just not focused on like a task to me like being a morning person means I can really focus, you know, I like to listen to podcasts when I design because I feel like my mind needs to wander and play a little bit that I can do that in the morning. Yeah. Yeah. Anyways, I just thought that was a sort of an interesting tidbit courtesy of ancestry.
00:15:29
Speaker
Other tips like scheduling phone calls or meetings for less productive times or less focused times or working out when we start to feel tired. So I know that you've probably mentioned podcasts that you feel a lag in the early afternoons, like after lunch, right?
00:15:44
Speaker
Yeah, and I would say that I even feel lag like, you know, usually around, I'd say 11, you know, and so I take a few calls at 11. So I feel like there's probably, I think I feel most productive in the beginning of the day and then it's, you know, I sort of lose energy and then I have lunch and maybe have a little energy and then it dips again probably around two o'clock. But then towards the end of the day, I have a burst of energy as well.
00:16:06
Speaker
So I just try to schedule things naturally to fit in those areas, you know, like around two o'clock again, because we start our day so early, I should hopefully be finishing up my work day. And so I want to go to the gym because I'm feeling tired anyways. So I'm just not going to be as productive, you know, so it's, it's good to go get a workout in at least for me then, you know, I'm scheduling my calls, maybe mid morning or in the afternoon, because again, that makes sense for me. And it doesn't cut into that time when I'm most productive during the day.
00:16:32
Speaker
Right. Also things like trying to group meetings together or tasks together, errands together, like all help with block scheduling and getting more stuff done too.
00:16:41
Speaker
Yeah. And that's sort of a sub point I put in here is just batching tasks as much as possible. So I try not to take meetings throughout the day. Like if I'm going to take meetings at a given day and typically my meeting days are loosely Tuesday and Thursday, I'm going to try to have all my meetings back to back. So there's no wasted time in between there. And I do still have time that day, you know, potentially to get some stuff done.
Reducing Decision Fatigue with Pre-planning
00:17:02
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. But yeah, I mean, you can batch other tasks together as well to save time, pick out clothes at the beginning of the week, or you can just wear the same clothes all week like I do.
00:17:10
Speaker
The day we outlined this, you had to pick up clothes at the beginning of the week. I'm like, you never do that. And then our intern goes, that's cause you've worn the same sweatshirt all week. You think that people don't notice, but they do. It's not so much that I don't think people notice as much as it is that I just am totally okay with that. And the sweatshirt that were the aforementioned sweatshirt has a big hole in the armpit.
00:17:37
Speaker
Well, first of all, I like comfortable clothes, all right? That's not the point. This is not what we're here to talk about, okay? But it's the same thing with meal prep. Like I put meal prep on here and Christo's like meal prep. It's like I don't, but I eat the same thing every day. And so it's like, I've already taken the mental power that I have to use to figure out like what I'm going to wear today or what I'm going to meal prep. By the way, wearing today, I wear different clothes to go to the gym and then I put them in the laundry people. I'm not like literally sitting in the same clothes 24 seven for a week. It's great.
00:18:07
Speaker
turning this podcast on. Or meal prepping, you could have like a cannon of recipes that you make for dinner. Yeah. And that's, I mean, like my, yeah, you know, like my diet varies very little. A lot of steak. Yeah. Well, I mean, just a lot of beef in general, but it was not the point, not the point.
00:18:24
Speaker
Yeah, but the idea is that you make decisions in advance to free your mind up on a day-to-day basis because you'd be surprised at how many micro decisions you make.
Exercise and Diet for Energy Boost
00:18:32
Speaker
This is the Steve Jobs wearing the black turtleneck every day. Yeah, well that concept, right? Yeah. You just don't have to think about it. Another tip we found for staying productive is to get outside, especially in the morning, even if it's just like going for a short walk.
00:18:47
Speaker
before kids and when we lived in a flatter area, we used to break up our day a lot more with walks. Now we live in the mountains and that's a little trickier. Yeah, yeah. One thing that I'm going to mention too for these next, I mean, like I think there's really good science to getting sunlight. And I found that that's really important for me is like actually get outside, get sunlight in my eyes. The more time I can be in the sun, the better, you know? So I think there's good science behind that. But I do think that there's something to be said for going on a brisk walk,
00:19:15
Speaker
And I know especially if I can take my meetings while walking, I do, you know, and I find I have more energy that way as well. Yeah. Yeah. And I think for these like next few tips too. And again, we're not research scientists. We're not dieticians. We're not exercise scientists. So, you know, go meet with qualified people.
00:19:34
Speaker
for you to come up with your own plan here. But for us personally, we try to get exercise every single day. So do something that is considered exercise. I like to just kind of make it a goal that I'm gonna spend one hour a day exercising. And then eating well makes a big difference for me. Again, I'm not gonna go into like what my diet looks like.
00:19:54
Speaker
you know, think the same thing works for everybody and all of that. But when I am not eating well, all right, my mood is worse, my energy is down, you know, it's just, and then that creates a just cascade of negative effects. Right. So exercising some discipline in that area for me yields really good results. And again, I think creates sort of a cascade of impact as well.
00:20:18
Speaker
both negative or positive, depending on, you know, what kind of routine I'm in. And I think that this goes back to something like meal prep. Like if you're listening and you're like, oh, that's true of me. One thing that has helped me in the past is really meal prepping because then I don't have to exercise as much willpower throughout the week. Like I just eat what's made. And now since I only buy what I eat and I don't eat all that much, you know, I don't eat different, like a ton of different kinds of food, you know, it's really easy for me.
00:20:45
Speaker
I saw on Instagram the other day somebody had made a reel that's like the midday version of me is not as disciplined or like resistant to will as the 7am version of me like she packs her lunch and she has all of these healthy snacks and then you see her in her car eating like
00:21:01
Speaker
a carrot and she's like, you know, by that point in the day, like you're tired and like you don't want you to care. But I think what you're saying, like if you prep ahead of time, it helps you avoid that like hit fall where you just want to cave and like do something that is really easy, but maybe not as good for you. Yeah, exactly.
00:21:17
Speaker
I feel like I'm that person. I had really good intentions for the day. And then it's like, I just wanted that muffin or whatever it is. Yeah, there has to be some science. I'm sure there's science behind it where like evening, my guess is that people who are trying to eat a relatively strict diet, it's much harder in the evening.
00:21:34
Speaker
That's what I personally find. It's like you're tired and you don't have as much self-control. Yeah, something like that. And you just went off with carbs. Yeah, exactly. But I don't
Managing Tasks with Effective Lists
00:21:41
Speaker
know. I mean, anyways, this next tip too, I think is like right up your alley. So I'll let you talk about that one.
00:21:48
Speaker
Keeping of running lists of ideas. So we do this and we have like a list of content ideas or like, so if somebody asks us a question in our Facebook community or via chat or a design client asks us something and we think, oh, that would be a good thing to produce a video on or a podcast on. We add that to a list.
00:22:06
Speaker
We keep ideas for different marketing things. I have an ad ideas channel, a Pinterest ideas channel, and we do it both on Slack. And then I also use sticky notes on my computer or the notes. They used to be a little stickies. I mean, I feel like I'm dating myself now, but they used to call them stickies a long time ago on Apple. No, it's just notes. And then in to-do, which we've talked about for, it's TEUX.com. It's like a to-do list that we both use every day for our daily tasks.
00:22:34
Speaker
there's an area down in the bottom where you can do like any sort of list down there. And I have some of those like ideas just floating around down there. So then it's like they're captured and you don't lose them, but you don't have to work them into your daily workflow.
Minimizing Digital Clutter
00:22:50
Speaker
I've started really emphasizing this recently, although had a running list of stuff for as long as I can remember. But one of the really valuable things I found, and again, thinking about my conversation with Steve Perkins, you know, it allows me, it allows to give me space between the idea, you know, cause I'll come across something and I'll find it really interesting. And then I'll go, I'll be sidetracked by it, you know? But like if I find an article or whatnot, I'll either put it in kind of my list in Slack.
00:23:14
Speaker
And then, you know, when I remember it and have time, I can come back to it and read it or, you know, whatever, or if it's an idea, I just list it, you know, in to do like you do as well. And again, given my space, like at least 24 hours, you know, it's kind of a loose rule. If it's still a good idea after 24 hours, then maybe I consider thinking about it more, but sometimes just not, you know, sometimes it's just like, I wonder too, how many people find this is true of tabs?
00:23:38
Speaker
that are open. What I've been doing is if I close my tabs out at the end of every day, and the reason being is because what I'd find is they just collect because I'd be like, oh, I'm just going to keep that open because I want to return to it later or something.
00:23:54
Speaker
And what happens is now it's operating, now it's occupying space, both on my computer, making that more stressful and making it more likely. But you were one of the people with like a million little tabs. Well, that's what I'm saying is that now I'll close them out at the end of every day.
00:24:09
Speaker
So by the end of the day, they do collect, right? But what would happen is I would just leave them there. And, you know, it's occupying both space on my computer, digitally, physically, and then also occupying space in my mind. And so it's been really, I think, healthy for me to just like literally close them out, because the ones I need, I'll end up going back to. And then some of them like, I saved it for some reason. But obviously, it wasn't that important, because I never went back to it, if that makes sense. I will slack it to myself. If it's like a recipe or a blog post that I might come back to, I'll slack it to myself.
00:24:39
Speaker
I don't normally have more than 10 tabs open. And that's like a busy day. Yeah, see, for me, it's like a new tool that I find that's, oh, that's interesting. I'm going to look into that more. You know, but if after a week I haven't looked into it, you know, it needs to go.
Reviewing Habits and Routines
00:24:50
Speaker
But like I basically said, you know, that Mark is 24 hours there. Anyways, for somebody who struggles with it, if anybody struggles with the same thing, let me know. I feel like I've heard a lot of people are perpetual browser tab people.
00:25:01
Speaker
Yeah, and I just wonder, again, mentally, I know for me, then I start working on a task I need to work on and you're clicking around tabs and you can't find something. And then you land on something that's like catches your interest and all of a sudden your mind is onto a different thing. So I think that's a large reason why I've been trying to avoid having the thousand tabs open, especially recently, really trying to pay more attention to my attention.
00:25:24
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. All right. Well, anyways, there are more things that we could say, but I think that's like a pretty good overview of a lot of our productivity acts. Yeah, I think so too. This is always fun to think about. I think like anytime we sit down to record an episode like this, there's also things that we end up listing that then become aspirational as well, you know, or maybe not even aspirational like, Oh, I don't do this, but I want to do this. Do you want to pick out your outfits at the beginning of the week? No, cause it's not an issue. You know, like I just kind of know I get comfortable clothes on unless I have to go somewhere.
00:25:54
Speaker
And I don't have that many outfits, like, I pretty much wear the same slacks and jackets at church every week, you know? Maybe change up the tie, right? No, but we were talking about a real life, and I won't get into this too much, but my point is, doing these kinds of things, outlining these kinds of episodes, it's a good reminder, things that you've gotten away from.
Avoiding Distractions for Focus
00:26:15
Speaker
You know, like, for instance, this last week, I've played a little more Settlers of Catan than I probably should right before bed. So it's a good reminder, like, hey,
00:26:22
Speaker
Go back to reading. Your body will thank you for it in the morning. Maybe you need a settler's fast this weekend. Yeah. Well, those friends I was talking about, they're coming into town next week. You're going to. Pretty excited about it. We're going to be playing a lot of settlers. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Anyways, as always, if you were interested in something we mentioned during the episode, go to the show notes because we'll have links to those resources that we mentioned. This episode in particular, we'll have a corresponding blog post where we provide even more productivity hacks. So if the productivity is something that is your thing and you just kind of like
00:26:52
Speaker
reading those lists like I do, head on over there. If productivity is not your thing and you want to make it your thing, that's a good place to start. But as always, we appreciate people's time.
Listener Engagement and Feedback
00:27:01
Speaker
And if you do us a favor, if you've listened to this episode or listened to the show regularly and you find it helpful on any level, if you go to iTunes, leave us a review, that kind of thing really helps. Yeah, we do read them. Yeah. So anyways, thanks guys.
00:27:20
Speaker
Thanks for tuning into the Brands That Book Show. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider subscribing and leaving a review in iTunes. For show notes and other resources, head on over to dvandchrista.com.