Here’s the truth about productivity (…and it took me over 10 years to realize):
There’s no such thing as one-size-fits-all productivity advice.
Let me give you a personal example.
My fiancée: Loves working in a dark room
Me: Love lots of light and sunshine
My fiancée: Excels at admin tasks
Me: Dreads admin task
My fiancée: Likes to focus on one thing from start to finish
Me: Hop from project to project because my motivation sways throughout the day
Productivity experts will tell you to wake up at 5am and start your day with a cold plunge.
Meanwhile, Steve Bartlett (host of Diary of a CEO and a multimillionaire) wakes up at 10am and doesn’t start working on his actual tasks until I think 8pm.
The takeaway:
Every human is unique. The key is to figure out what works for you.
Here are a few questions I’ve asked myself to figure out what actually works for me, along with real examples from my own life.
Maybe they’ll spark some ideas that you can apply to your own routine.
What’s my Human Design?
This might sound a little “woo-woo,” but honestly, I think it works.
And coming from someone who’s usually all about logic, facts, and science, that’s saying something.
Have you ever heard of Human Design?
It’s: A self-discovery tool that combines astrology, personality types, and energy patterns to help you understand how you naturally work and make decisions.
It uses your birth date, time, and place to create a chart that shows how your energy works best and how you’re naturally wired to make decisions.
To get started, fill out this calculator using your birth date, time, and location. Once you do, it’ll generate your unique Human Design.
For example I’m a manifesting generator:
Once you have yours through the calculator, you’ll want to put that into ChatGPT with the following prompt:
”I’m a (insert human design) in my human design. Based on that, give me a break down my optimal workflow, how I make decisions, and any advice you have for my when it comes to productivity.”
Here are some key takeaways for my human design:
Work when your energy is high and rest when it dips because you’re built for bursts, not strict routines
Follow what excites you, even if it means changing direction (this will make you more productive)
Trust your gut over logic because what lights you up is usually the right path
I used to think something was wrong with me for losing motivation and jumping between things, but now I see that’s just how I’m wired. In fact, that’s my strength.
Even if it sounds a little “woo-woo,” getting that kind of validation really helped me.
What’s my Chronotype?
A chronotype is your body’s natural rhythm that decides whether you’re a morning person, a night owl, or somewhere in between.
There are 4 types of chronotypes:
For me, I’m a Bear, which is the most common chronotype.
That means I usually feel a steady flow of energy when I start my morning at my desk, but after lunch, it gets harder to start new tasks as my energy starts to dip.
^ by the way, this describes me TO THE T.
Knowing this I:
I schedule all my admin tasks and meetings for after lunch
I keep my mornings and early afternoons clear for deep, focused work
To figure out your Chronotype, give ChatGPT this prompt:
I want to figure out what my chronotype is. Give me a series of questions that, once I answer them, will tell me my exact chronotype.
Just answer the questions and you’ll get a clear idea of your chronotype and how to shape your day to match it.
Am I working in my Zone of Genius?
I read two books that changed the way I think about work:
10x Is Easier Than 2x by Dan Sullivan
Buy Back Your Time by Dan Martell
Both talk about how top entrepreneurs scale by doing less, not more.
The main idea I keep coming back to from the books is:
Your Zone of Genius is the work you’re naturally great at, love doing, and could keep doing for hours without burning out.
For example, my fiancée can power through admin tasks all day.
Me? I’ll avoid them at all costs because they drain me.
But give me content to write, clients to talk to, or a presentation to lead, and I’m locked in. That stuff gives me energy.
We have different Zones of Genius, and that’s the point.
To understand what your Zone of Genius is, the book recommends you audit your day and list out:
Which tasks give you energy?
Which ones drain you?
Then, with the tasks that are on your “drain list”, use the following to reduce them:
Delegate them to other team members
Automate them via AI or automation like Zapier
Outsource them to someone on Fiver
Or stop doing them entirely
Now, that’s easier if you run your own business.
But what if you work full-time?
Here’s what I do in my 9 to 5:
I delegate repetitive tasks to our admin team in the Philippines
I use AI to help with document prep by brain dumping and editing the output
I flag low-ROI meetings and ask if we can cut or combine them
All of this helps me protect my Zone of Genius. The more time I spend there, the better my work feels and performs.
Why Work Feels Easier Lately
I’m not saying I’ve got productivity all figured out. But understanding how I’m wired, through things like
Human Design
Chronotypes
Zone of Genius
… has made work feel a lot less like a grind.
If anything in this newsletter clicked for you, try it out this week. See what changes.