In 1908, two psychologists discovered a performance-boosting principle.

The Yerkes-Dodson law states that stimulation can improve our productivity — but only up to a point.

There's a sweet spot for mental stimulation and performance. Too little stimulation leads to boredom, while too much leaves us overwhelmed.

The ideal level of mental stimulation puts us in the zone for peak performance.

"Always do more." Wise words until they burn you out.

A better approach? Exceed expectations strategically.

Instead of grinding more hours, focus on efforts that multiply your impact sustainably. Many who consistently overdeliver find themselves trapped in a cycle:

• Force themselves to constantly "hustle"
• Devalue their work by giving it away for free
• Burn themselves out doing one-off "extras"

A powerful happiness tool:

A Smile File 😊

Most people go through their day without saving positive interactions and memories.

A Smile File can boost creativity, productivity, and overall well-being.

Free template included: Why use a Smile File?

Smiles are Happy Chemicals.

Focusing on what you're grateful for can help release serotonin, a chemical associated with happiness and well-being.

I used to have a severe addiction:

Learning.

I craved the cheap dopamine hits of discovering new methods, shortcuts and systems.

But the more I learned —  the more I felt like an imposter.

So I created a framework to balance learning -vs- doing: 👇 Creators tend to have a knowledge imbalance towards learning.

They invest too much time and energy in acquiring information.

But they fail to apply what they already know.

Top athletes are known for their discipline, focus & ability to achieve goals.

These are all valuable traits in any area of life.

An athlete's mindset can help you develop a sense of purpose, overcome obstacles & push you further.

Here are 10 traits you should steal:
🧵 👇 1. Positive framing: Turn difficulty into possibility.

“The more difficult the victory, the greater the happiness in winning.”
— Pele

I've chased productivity for years.

I've done all sorts of things to try to get better:
- Took courses
- Listened to Tim Ferris & others
- Read Deep Work, Atomic Habits, Make Time

All of these things helped me a ton.

But there's one framework I wish I had from the start.

🧵👇 Group tasks by cognitive effort.

If you do this, here are the results you can expect to happen:

- Prioritise efforts
- Increase productivity
- Align action with ability
- Create habits and triggers
- Group tasks into focus sessions

https://twitter.com/1604212975837102080/status/1612194413589004290

3 topics have been attracting my curiosity recently:

1. Tasks by Cognitive Effort
2. Personal Knowledge Management
3. Compounding Motivation

Here's why 👇 1. Tasks by Cognitive Effort

I’m interested in focus and being intentional with my time. So much so that I created a framework called Focus Drivers, which allows you to categorise tasks by cognitive efforts.

And I hope to turn Focus Drivers into a book, course or both.

I only started taking Twitter seriously in the last 30 days.

I've connected & reconnected with so many inspiring people.
Every single day I've learned something from most of you.

Thank you is not enough.
Karma will send you well-deserved rewards this year. The A-Team:

1. @fortelabs
2. @EvansNifty
3. @ItsKieranDrew
4. @thejustinwelsh
5. @FisFraga
6. @TheHunterBohm
7. @dickiebush
8. @TheDannyNaz
9. @SamanthaPostman
10. @thedankoe

Building a personal brand when short on time.

I run a successful web design business, have a wife & kids and life commitments. With only three hours daily dedicated to growing my personal brand, I need to be focused.

Here's how I plan to do it: I want to move as fast as possible while staying focused and consistent.

Here’s a brief plan to help make progress:
1. Establish guidance
2. Set constraints
3. Maximise time
4. Measure progress
5. Set the minimum effort
6. Use Focus Drivers
7. Learn from others
8. Weekly plan

1/ Writing blog articles can feel like a battle against the blank page monster. Here’s how to utilise past efforts — to speed up content creation, reduce effort, remove intimidation and slay the beast forever. It begins with 2 changes in mindset… 👇 2/ Think like an editor — Be analytical and focus on output. Ask yourself, “Do I have enough content to publish?” Source content by least effort and most actionable.