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Miles Ahead Mondays: Weekly Planning Hack, Japanese Study Struggles, Effortless Insights
Miles Ahead MondaysHi friend, Productivity HackThe weekly planning technique that ensures I make meaningful progress. Each week during my review, I compile all the tasks in my task manager that I want to complete. This ensures nothing slips through the cracks, and I don’t get overwhelmed by bigger projects. Pretty standard, right? However, the danger is that we might spend the week ticking off a bunch of small tasks, feeling busy and productive, but at the end of the week, it’s unclear what we’ve actually achieved when we zoom out to look at the bigger picture. Yes, we need to handle micro-tasks that contribute to larger goals, but we also need to ensure we’re making progress on a macro level. Here’s what I do: after organizing individual tasks in my task manager, I step back and ask myself, “What do I want to have accomplished by the end of this week? How will my life be different after these seven days?” Framing it this way forces me to focus on the outcomes my daily efforts are building toward. I then write these big-picture outcomes on a physical sheet of paper or whiteboard that I keep prominently displayed at my workspace to remind me what I’m working toward. For example, my task manager might list:
These are all separate tasks that might not be completed in one deep work session. But I wouldn’t list them all on my weekly plan. Instead, I’d write the single outcome I want to achieve by the end of the week: Upload Mac productivity setup video. That’s the final outcome that truly matters. What I’m ReadingIf you liked Essentialism, I highly recommend Greg McKeown’s other book, Effortless. Here’s a passage that aligns with the weekly planning technique I just mentioned, but applies it to daily tasks: “A Done for the Day list is not a list of everything we could theoretically do, or everything we’d love to get done. These will always exceed the time we have. Instead, it’s a list of what will constitute meaningful and essential progress. As you write the list, ask yourself: ‘If I complete everything on this list, will I feel satisfied by the end of the day? Is there another important task that will haunt me if I don’t get to it?’ If the answer is yes, that task goes on the Done for the Day list.” What I’m Listening ToOne habit I’ve always struggled with is practicing/studying Japanese. As some of you know, I’m half-Japanese but grew up in the U.S., and I didn’t grow up speaking the language. I’ve studied it off and on but have never been consistent enough to feel confident. Despite the advice I give on my channel about consistency, growth mindset, and embracing discomfort, Japanese is the one area where I honestly fail to practice what I preach. I often make excuses like, “I’m focusing on other things right now, and I’ll study Japanese later when I can give it my full attention.” But like any skill, mastering a language requires consistent, daily effort that compounds over time. My motivation spikes when I visit Japan, but it quickly fades once I return to the U.S. I think it’s rooted in my fear of failure, which I’ve managed to overcome in other areas of life, but for some reason, it’s particularly strong when it comes to speaking Japanese. Maybe it’s because of unrealistic expectations & pressure I put on myself—I feel like I should already know the language because I’m part Japanese, and my last name is Japanese so when I make a mistake I feel like people are judging me and am disappointed in myself. Lately, I’ve started listening to the Yuyu Nihongo Podcast while driving, doing chores, or whenever my mind is partially free but not fully engaged. I love listening to English podcasts, so I figured the best way to make learning Japanese enjoyable is by incorporating it into something I already enjoy. It’s going well so far, and I feel like listening to the language mimics how children learn—by hearing others speak first. While this doesn’t help with speaking yet, it’s a start in building the habit of dedicating time to the language—hopefully more effective than just maintaining a Duolingo streak. Upcoming VideosHow I Turned My Mac Into a Productivity Machine Productive Summer Recap Vlog (need to come up with a title...) My 6AM Morning Routine Have a productive week! Miles |
Miles Ahead Monday
Every week I write about the best lessons I've learned from navigating life. Please click subscribe to join the 3500+ people who read my free newsletter.