Bruce Lee on Productivity

A productivity YouTuber I sometimes follow, Thomas Frank, introduced me to this quote by Bruce Lee:

Adapt what is useful, reject what is useless, and add what is specifically your own.

I don't know that Bruce Lee was talking about productivity when he said this, but it perfectly encapsulates my productivity philosophy:

• Learn about the productivity systems others have shared
• Keep the parts of those systems that work for you
• Get rid of the parts of the system that don't work for you
• Experiment with and add your own ideas

I believe your best productivity comes by following this philosophy. It allows you to build your own unique, tailored productivity system without having to start from scratch. Learn from those who have come before you, then adapt and expand upon what you've learned.

Questions or comments? Please send me an email at brennan@creadevlabs.com.

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What I'm Reading / Watching / Listening to:

Video: You're Going to Quit Bullet Journaling (and I'm going to tell you why)
When I first saw the title for this video, I thought it was going to be someone speaking against the practice of Bullet Journaling. I don't really like videos that try to convince others not to use certain productivity apps and methods. What may not work for one person could absolutely work for someone else. There's enough conflict in this world without fighting about which productivity tool is better. It turns out this video was about the top reasons why people quit Bullet Journaling and how to overcome them. I actually agreed with the advice given in the video. I just wish it had had a more friendly title.

Video: A Digital and Analog Planning System To Live An Intentional Life
My productivity system is made up of both analog and digital tools, and I'm always on the lookout for ways to make them work better together. I like the approach taken in this video where the Bullet Journal acts as the source of truth, and things can be migrated to other tools as needed. I currently have multiple places, or inboxes, where I capture information just in case one of my inboxes isn't available to me. I agree the number of inboxes you have should absolutely be kept to a minimum. If you do use multiple inboxes, then you'll need a system in place to review those inboxes regularly so nothing falls through the cracks.