Why Your To-Do List Isn’t Working

Big changes are on the way for our Second Brain Membership, and I can’t wait to share all the details with you.

Keep an eye on your inbox for next week’s newsletter, where I’ll reveal what’s coming and how we’re reimagining the membership to better serve you in 2025.

In the meantime, this is your last chance to get a 30-day free trial before we close this option ahead of the relaunch.

Joining now means you’ll have access to two great guest workshops happening this week:

Supercharge Your Notetaking with AI – Tue., Dec. 10th at 1 pm ET
Streamline Your Solopreneur Business with Notion – Wed., Dec. 11th at 12 pm ET

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How Often Should You Update Your System?

The honest answer? Not as often as you might think.

I’ve realized that I rarely sit down to “update my system” for its own sake. It’s never about the system itself—it’s about working within the system. Why? Because tweaking and maintaining a system just for the sake of it can feel like expending effort without a clear return.

Here’s my rule of thumb: make every system update part of a project.

This mindset comes from my consulting days, where everything had to be tied to a billable hour. If an action wasn’t directly tied to a client deliverable, it didn’t make sense to spend time on it.

I’ve applied this principle to how I manage my Second Brain. Instead of maintaining the system just because, I fold system updates into a project where the effort matters.

Here’s an example: I rarely clean my desktop (yes, it’s often cluttered with screenshots and random files). But when I had to record a YouTube video showing my desktop, I suddenly had a reason to clean it. Cleaning wasn’t an isolated task—it was a step in delivering a project.

This approach has kept me from wasting time on unnecessary maintenance.

The exception is updating my project list. I do this about once a month, and it takes just five minutes. Everything else? It waits until a project demands it.

Why Your To-Do List Isn’t Working – And How to Fix It

Struggling with an endless to-do list? In this video, I reveal 7 simple rules I use to stay on top of my tasks without feeling overwhelmed.

From managing energy levels to clearing mental clutter, these tips will help you get more done with less stress.

on't miss my bonus mindset tip at the end—it might just change how you think about productivity forever.

Watch on YouTube

How to Make Better Decisions in 2025

Every day, you make around 35,000 decisions. Isn’t that crazy?

They shape everything – from your career and relationships to your daily life – in ways you might not even realize.

And yet, have you ever stopped to consider how you’re making your decisions?

One of my mentors, Joe Hudson, has spent years refining a powerful approach to help people make better decisions.

And he has distilled the most effective practices and protocols into his Great Decisions Course, a five-week experience that’s running again this January.

If this is something you want to work on, click the button below and I will share with you in the coming weeks…

A preview of what goes into making better decisions
An exclusive discount for the upcoming cohort of the Great Decisions Course

Join the waitlist

Have You Talked to My Clone Yet?

Imagine being able to receive personalized advice from me directly at any time you want.

This is now possible thanks to Delphi, a digital cloning platform that can capture how you think – making your knowledge, experiences, personality, and opinions available to others, in a personalized way.

Delphi trained my digital clone on my blog, podcast, and books. So any questions you have or topics you want to learn about related to knowledge management and productivity, ask away!

Try it out

Can’t think of a question? You’ll see popular questions other people have asked to help you get started.