Failure to Launch

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I planned to launch my 23rd podcast episode this morning. I didn’t. It was 7:30am already and I still had much editing to do. I needed to give up my laptop for my daughter to use for her online classes. We have another small laptop that she could use but today was the special crazy hair day and I wanted her to enjoy her time seeing friends on the bigger screen. I also needed to get ready for my actual job and did not want to take a leave to finish the episode. I did not feel great because I promised the day before it would be out in this morning and because my preparation process failed.

Although I woke up very early as always when I have an episode to launch, the recording part took way too long because I should have prepared differently. My handwritten notes were not helpful as I expected. My previous process of typing my notes and reading them off my laptop screen worked better.

That was my hard lesson for today and I will try again this evening. Or better yet, tomorrow morning.

Failure to Launch

The 10-Minute Rule

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Still reflecting about the podcast episode I wrote about yesterday where the author Nir Eyal shared the 10-minute rule as a way to reduce distraction.

He said that as human beings we fear abstinence. Announcing “I will never do that thing again” might trigger the rebellious side we have and make it difficult to break our negative patterns.

What should we do instead?

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The 10-Minute Rule

Pain Management

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I gained great the insights from this podcast interview of Nir Eyal with Greg McKeown where he said “Time Management is Pain Management” meaning if we know how to manage our uncomfortable feelings we will be better able to manage our time. We are the ones who initiate distraction to feel better emotions.

There is no harm in indulging in social media or Netflix as long as we do it with intention. Plan to spend an hour on those things in a certain time of the day, then when that time comes enjoy it guilt-free.

The experience is radically different when done on purpose rather than as an escape mechanism.

Pain Management

One Year Podcast Anniversary

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Today is a big deal in my world. It marks the occasion of the first anniversary of my podcast with 22 episodes to date and +13K downloads.

Launching مشروع برديس podcast by the end of Q1 2020 was already planned before we even heard of COVID-19; The 2020 lockdown just sped up the production where I produced 5 episodes in 7 weeks. That is why I will always cherish those days that got my creative juices going like no other times I lived before.

After the lockdown was over, and I got back to work, my podcast rhythm slowed down, until I decided I was capable of producing 1 episode a month only.

However, growing my podcast’s impact is one of my goals for 2021, therefore, I have been working on launching more episodes, and succeeded in releasing 9 episodes in 13 weeks since the beginning of the year. This was possible due to a friend’s suggestion to create a short-form episodes where I share a quick update or one idea in addition to my usual longish in-depth discussions about a certain topic. I have other ideas in mind to grow my podcast.

Podcast Growth Plan for next year:

  • I will maintain a weekly frequency of launching episodes (maybe one month off in summer).
  • I will mix between in-depth topics like atomic habits books discussion that I am currently doing (20 minutes average) and the short-form episodes (5 minutes).
  • I will add interviews as a more regular part of the podcast, I find editing them way easier than host-on-mic which has been my format for the past year (except for 1 episode when I hosted my dear accountability partner)
  • I will try batching where I record more than one episode at a time, have focused editing sessions and schedule release in advance. Still behind in this aspect.
  • I might upgrade my equipment and recording setup to further improve audio quality.

If you are a listener of my podcast, thank you so much for the love and the time you choose to spend with me! I do not take it for granted.

One Year Podcast Anniversary

This Happens 4 Times A Year

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I am so looking forward to this special week for three reasons:

  1. Doing the Weekly Review today. (#13 of the year)
  2. Doing the Monthly Review over the weekend. I’ll do it by reviewing the 4 weekly reviews of the month.
  3. Doing the Quarterly Review over the weekend. I’ll do it by reviewing the past three monthly reviews.

See, this system worked wonderfully last year, and I am thrilled to maintain it this year.

I invite you to start this habit small by committing to weekly reviews first. It’s my keystone habit for life tracking.

P.S: You can find all my favorite planners and journals here.

This Happens 4 Times A Year

Digital Habits Update-March 2021

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My new post digital declutter challenge life is not working as well as I intended it.

I still need to re-configure some stuff. I would be lying if I said I didn’t care about the engagement level of my stories or posts. I want my content to do well and reach people who will benefit from it. I am still attached to the outcome (rather than The Practice) which is highly challenging and algorithm-dependent. I still have the urge to check and post in the morning because I like inspiring my followers in such an important part of the day that I often speak about mastering, not just post in the evenings as I decided when I ended the challenge last month.

What’s been working:

  • Quiet no phone evenings are still working great after I get home from work.
  • No social media during working hours.
  • Committing to the time limit for social media most days.
  • No Facebook on phone.
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Digital Habits Update-March 2021

Don’t Think it, Write it

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When I am at my home office early in the morning, I tend to stare outside the window a lot and replay a recent event in my head or daydream. Then I notice the timer on my desk which means I need to focus to make the best of my morning routine before heading to work or kids wake up, so I tell myself “don’t think it, write it” to remember to use my journal to capture my daydreams and replays on paper. Locking my thoughts in paper helps me think more clearly and get some insights.

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Don’t Think it, Write it

About to Quit?

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Remember why you started.

Why was it so important to you when you embarked on this journey?

What is in it for you on the long term?

What would you lose if you quit?

Write all your reasons down for another want-to-quit day.

About to Quit?

Is Waking Up Early for You?

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I’ve been waking up early since late 2016 and I am teaching others how to do it too through my podcast, Instagram videos and directly with the group of early risers I have been managing for 6 months now.

One of the first things I ask anyone who wants to join the group is why they want to wake up early. They need define what would they win if they start this habit and what is at stake if they don’t.

I believe in waking up early to take care of yourself before taking care of the people in your life and your responsibilities.  I believe when it becomes a habit in your life, it would be the time you work on your personal projects or make progress in current important ones. Take me for example, I record and edit my podcast in the mornings when my house is asleep because I have a 9-5 job and 2 kids to care of. My mornings were only about self-care at first, later on when waking up became a natural routine, I started trying to work on other important stuff. I encourage you to do the same. Define your why, make it a habit, then optimize it later.

Is Waking Up Early for You?

Apps I love: Readwise

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An application I’m adoring these days is readwise. After using it for a month I’ll recommend it to anyone who uses Kindle for reading.

Readwise brings back all those books I read years ago on my Kindle through a digest of my own highlights sent by a daily email and their super app. It can also save twitter threads for you, how cool is that?

What I like about Readwise is that I don’t only remember what I read, I remember who I was when I read those books and feel proud of all the long hours I put into reading. It gives so much joy to use it and I can save and share favorite highlights in social media-friendly formats.

Click my link to get a free one-month trial and see for yourself.

HT to @AliAbdaal for pointing me towards Readwise.

Apps I love: Readwise