Hey
Productivity is all about being effective with not just oneâs task lists, but also in our approach to life. After all, we are all bombarded with endless content, news, media, info and all of this will only amplify in the coming years (thanks to AI).
So whatâs the framework we should follow to stay productive / efficient? One of the OG books in this (and I am sure you must have read it) isâŠ.The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.
Even after 30 years of the first print, the book still has immense value and I believe that a lot of productivity gyaan that we see these days is just a derivative of some of these OG wisdoms.
Now, here is the plan đ”ïž
I restarted reading this book and I believe that we should do a deep dive on this one and I will share 1 habit every day for 7 days.
Each one of them deserve a day of their own and today, letâs kick off this 7-day marathon with the first habit (the first edition in this 7-day series is available for all)
Before that, would be awesome if you could share/tweet about the newsletter and help me reach your friends (here is a sample tweet).
Habit 1: Be Proactive
Taking response+ability of your life.
Proactive people recognize that they are âresponse-able.â They donât blame circumstances, conditions, or conditioning for their behavior.
They know they can choose their behavior.
Reactive people, on the other hand, are often affected by their physical environment. They find external sources to blame for their behavior.
If the weather is good, they feel good. If it isnât, it affects their attitude and performance, and they blame the weather.
All these external forces act as stimuli that we respond to.
âI am not a product of my circumstances. I am a product of my decisions.â
Between the stimulus and the response is our greatest powerâwe have the freedom to choose our response. One of the most important things we choose is what we say. Our language is a good indicator of how we see ourselves.
A proactive person uses proactive languageâI can, I will, I prefer, etc.
A reactive person uses reactive languageâI canât, I have to, if only. Reactive people believe they are not responsible for what they say and doâthey have no choice.
Your Circle of Influence
Instead of reacting to or worrying about conditions over which they have little or no control, proactive people focus their time and energy on things they can control.
The problems, challenges, and opportunities we face fall into two areasâCircle of Concern and Circle of Influence.
How do I use this Circle of Influence process?
One of the ways I use this circle of influence paradigm to really stay productive is news consumption.
I know I have very little influence on national / international politics or even AI evolution, so my news consumption is mostly driven by this news app (launched by nextbigwhat/strictly for working professionals/this isnât a plug) and this app gives me just enough news to stay aware, saves me time to really work on my circle of influence - i.e. a bunch of AI-led products we are launching soon.
We all have a choice - to drown ourselves in worldâs misery vs. fix everything around us. Being effectiveness starts with a choice!
Have a great weekend !
Ashish.