Ep. 199 - Borrowing Brains: Real-Life Productivity That Actually Works

Productivity doesn’t have to be complicated to be effective. In this episode, we break down real-world productivity strategies gathered from everyday people who’ve found simple ways to manage their time and energy more intentionally. You’ll hear ideas for protecting your energy, building momentum through small wins, reducing mental friction, and creating personalized habits that support focus and follow-through, without trying to do more. 

Show Notes

If this episode resonates, you might also enjoy:
* Episode 47: https://youtu.be/0Wkozg79_qw
* Episode 119: https://youtu.be/I4IlJQOY-9M

Links to Apps/Products Mentioned:
* Notion: https://www.notion.com/
* Motion: https://www.usemotion.com/
* Obsidian: https://obsidian.md/
* Fyxer: https://www.fyxer.com/
* Tiimo: https://www.tiimoapp.com/
* Habitica: https://habitica.com/static/home
* Productive Weeks Planner: https://amzn.to/4s4EWJ7
* Giraffe Figurines: https://amzn.to/4aY1BB7

Transcript

Borrowing Brains: Real-Life Productivity That Actually Works

In my ongoing nerdery, I’m often posting and chatting in different corners of the internet. And as much as I love data and research, there’s something especially inspiring about tried-and-true wisdom that can be found in casual conversations.

So recently, I posed a topic about what people are using for their own time and energy management. It was a hot topic.

That makes sense because sociologically, communities love to share shortcuts and support. That’s part of the appeal of modern day review sites, Reddit threads, and comment sections. Real-time input from real people can offer a very important shortcut that we can try and we can trust.

The Bottom Line on Top of this episode is that sometimes the fastest way to skip the line is to know somebody who is already in it.

So today’s conversation we’ll be sharing four themes that emerged from all that input from my online pals.

1. Energy over availability

The people who seem steady and productive are not setting about designing their days around an open calendar. They’re designing it around their own energy as best they can.

Energy in this sense is connected to chronobiology–the different times during the day when you are going to have maximum energy for you. If you want to go deeper on that topic, see Episode 119 and a link in the show notes.

One woman said she protects at least one high-energy window each week for her to be able to do creative or strategic work and then she batches everything else that day around it.

Another person shared that they wake up at 4:45 a.m. so they can have two solid hours before anyone else is awake. Those two quiet hours, she says, save her four scattered hours later.

Someone else shared that for the first time in a decade she’s sleeping eight hours most nights because she cuts out screens before bed and won’t eat any food after 8 p.m., and that alone changed her capacity, energetically, during the day.

Another person recommended doing a Strengthscope assessment to gain personalized insight into your own mental energy and productivity blockers.

None of these suggestions were about squeezing more into the day. It was about understanding and protecting the key times and elements when you can be at your best.

2. Finish the small things

This came up again and again.

One person calls it their “Finish the Tiny Things” activity. Around 3 p.m. every day, she sets a timer and walks through her environment and looks for the smallest and easiest things she can finish. Recycle this. Shred that. Clean over here.

“I get that win of finishing things,” she says, “and it helps me feel more settled and competent in my own brain.”

Another person swears by a “Two Do” list. Finishing two meaningful tasks each day that move the needle before diving into the tech in the morning. This philosophy tracks closely with Episode 47 and the Key 3 Technique.

Others talked about the habits of building buffer time into their day. One person automatically blocks thirty minutes after every meeting to not only allow breathing room but to help with some mental decompression before jumping to the next thing. Another person also adds buffer but they do it before and after heavy mental tasks so that she can prep herself and then have some space to catch her breath instead of crashing in and crashing out.

Another idea was to start the day with a block of time dedicated as a “no problem-solving zone”--for me, that’s anytime after 9PM. This person used this time not only for a softer start to her day, but for what she called resetting rooms, such as setting up her bedroom in the morning or setting up her living room in the evening. Those efforts bookended her day she said, with tasks already being completed and ready for future her to get to enjoy.

And in that same spirit, another tip was to do ten minutes of quick chores or movement after a meal. Not only is it a digestion boost, it also helps the brain to continue to have a little momentum.

Protect the edges of your day, and the center of it gets stronger.

3. Reduce friction

This category was fascinating because the tools varied wildly, but the principle was the same.

One person moved every note, idea, and to-do into a single app so she was no longer hunting through sticky notes, Word docs, and random files.

Another person would intentionally close every browser tab when they needed to focus on a dedicated task. Otherwise they knew they would get distracted.

Other people suggested analog options like pocket notebooks or a planner that someone suggested from “Productive Weeks” so projects, daily actions, and reminders were all on one visible spread.

And the digital and tech recommendations were plentiful. They included Notion, which is a digital workspace. Motion, with an M, for syncing and time-blocking calendars. Obsidian as a note-taking system. Fyxer, an AI email assistant. The Tiimo app, which was recommended particularly for ADHD users. I’ll add these names and links in the show notes.

Different tools. Same principle. Fewer places to look. Less friction between you and what you want to do with your time and your energy.

4. Find your special You thing 

There were so many individualized and sometimes eclectic ideas.

One person always keeps a gourmet pizza in the freezer as an emergency energy insurance policy for nights when she doesn’t have the energy to cook or even decide what to make.

Another person really loves the Habitica app, which turns tasks during the day into a role-playing game where even completing those real life tasks earns online rewards–for all you video game lovers.

And finally, my favorite was the woman who uses the habit science of visual tracking by having an empty bowl on her desk and a collection of small toy giraffes next to it.

She explained it like this–“When I have a handful of tasks to get done, like a group of emails I’m behind on, I pull out the number of giraffes that matches the number of tasks. So when I finish an email? A giraffe goes in the bowl. Finish two more? Two more giraffes in the bowl.”

It was hilarious. And that’s what I loved most about this entire thread. None of it required a pile of books or a complicated framework. It was a healthy mix of free opinion, inspiration and imagination. Real people figuring out what works for them in real life.

So before you scroll, search, or shop for solutions next, try asking the people in your spaces. It’s a fun experiment and sometimes it might even help you skip the line.

And on that note, I am off to go shop for some little giraffes. I’ll see you next week.