2 months after Rocky I was released in 1976, Sylvester Stallone did an interview with the BBC.

But it wasn't the Italian Stallion throwing punches.

It was the host––who at one point said:

"It was fairly presumptuous of you wasn't it? To expect to be able to star in it, because… https://t.co/5tQrGh80iMtwitter.com/i/web/status/1…
You can watch the full interview here:

If you like content like this, I also write a weekly newsletter. It's free, and nearly 30K people read it every Sunday.
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blake.ck.page

"The solution to your problem is not going to be found in the problem."

I've spoken with 3 different friends in the last week (all high-achievers) who've expressed to me some level of feeling overwhelmed.

They all use the same tactic to get back on track––

Detachment: Everyone has the same issue.

We're so narrowly focused on our own problems, the immediate issues in front of us, the trees instead of the forest, that we can't find our way out.

We've narrowed our field of vision to the point we're unable to see what we need to do.

Humans have a tendency to believe false information.

It's called the "Illusory Truth Effect"

Here's why it happens and how you can train your brain to overcome it: First, some background...

In 1977, researchers from Villanova and Temple were the first to coin the term during a study conducted over a 5-week period.

Separated into 3 sessions, participants were given a list of 60 statements.

Their task was simple.

I asked my audience a simple question.

"What's one product––under $500––that's impacted your health the most?

Out of nearly 1,000 responses, here are the best: Item: Athletic Greens
User: @SahilBloom
"For me, it's been Athletic Greens—have taken most days since 2011. Keeps me feeling great daily.

Anyone interested can use my partner link for free vitamin D and travel packs." athleticgreens.com/sahil

Google Sheets isn't Excel.

But it's more powerful than you think.

7 things Sheets can do, you'll wish you knew yesterday: 📊 QR CODES

Everyone has a smartphone these days...

Generating an easily scannable image to drive traffic to your site seems like a no-brainer.

•Copy + paste the formula below
•Change "A1" to the cell with your URL
•💥 Free QR code

=IMAGE("chart.googleapis.com/chart?chs=200x…"&A1&"")

I built the Only Habit Tracker you need.

Here's how it works: 📊 It's not too late to build new habits in 2023.

With this in mind, I thought it'd be useful to create a simple, fun, & easy-to-use habit tracker in Google Sheets.

If you'd rather jump to the end and just grab the template, be my guest.

If you wanna see it works, read on:

Unleash the power of Google Sheets.

12 skills every user should know to achieve more in less time: 📊 Checkbox Status Tracker:

If you've been following my account for a while you know I love to-do lists...

Here's a simple way to mark things off as you get them done by combining an "IF" statement with checkboxes:

Save money.
Get in shape.
Get out of debt.
Build better habits.
Defeat procrastination.

5 Excel & Google Sheets Templates You Didn't Know You Needed (Until Now): 📊 1. Google Sheets Habit Tracker

https://twitter.com/blakeaburge/status/1596532110394802182?s=20&t=9-8lk4rQNnrNN0m7BWJkyg

Here are 8 ways to double your Gmail productivity today: 📩 1/ Mute Conversations:

We've all been there.

Copied on an email chain with several other people, on a topic that's somewhere south of relevant to you.

No worries. Just mute the conversation.

•Select the message
•Click the 3 dot icon above
•Select "mute"

This is the year you finally get in shape.

No app to download.
No monthly subscription.
One Simple Sheet To Reach Your Goals.

Learn how to build your own Google Sheet Fitness Tracker here: 📊 The New Year is here!

With this in mind, I thought it'd be useful to create a simple, fun, & easy-to-use fitness tracker in Google Sheets.

If you'd rather jump to the end and just grab the template, be my guest.

If you wanna build it yourself, read on:

Today's the day you stop saying "I'll start tomorrow."

Here's the only Habit Tracker you need for 2023: 📊 The New Year is here!

With this in mind, I thought it'd be useful to create a simple, fun, & easy-to-use habit tracker in Google Sheets.

If you'd rather jump to the end and just grab the template, be my guest.

If you wanna see it works, read on:

This week I built an easy-to-use "One Page Budget" planner in Google Sheets.

Here's a breakdown of how it works and a template you can use: 📊 First off...

Some people want to know how the watch is made, others just want to know what time it is.

If you'd like to jump ahead & grab the template, go to the end of this thread.

You'll find Excel & G-Sheet links there.

Prefer to build it yourself?

Keep reading: 👇🏻

4 Google Sheets skills
4 minutes to learn (or less)
4 hours you can save this week: 📊 Checkbox Conditional Formatting:

I love to-do lists.

I also love the ability to check things off as I get them done.

Using a combination of checkboxes and conditional formatting, you can make a simple to-do list that visually updates as you complete each task.

Like this:

Most of us are our own worst enemies.

Here's how to get out of your own way & get what you want: Reasons You Can't:

Where the eyes go the body follows.

Anyone can look at a problem & rattle off all of the reasons it can't be solved...

That's easy –– and lazy.

Instead, find one solution.

A singular path that moves you forward.

Find it, start walking, & ignore the noise.

5 things everyone wants:

More Money
Better Health
Overcome Debt
Consistent Habits
Increased Knowledge

5 Excel & Google Sheets templates you can use to build a better you in 2023: 📊 More Money:

The first step in keeping more of your money where it belongs (in your pocket) is knowing where it goes.

Start by building a budget in Excel or Google Sheets with the template I made here:

https://twitter.com/blakeaburge/status/1591419165893459970

It's not about getting better at a spreadsheet.

It's about getting better at your job.

8 Excel tips to help you work faster, get promoted, and earn more $$: 📊 Speedy SUM Shortcuts:

Using the SUM function is about as basic as it gets.

That said, like many things in Excel, there's a faster way to do it if you know a couple of tricks.

Just select the cell where you want the total to go and...

PC: ALT+=
Mac: Shift+CMD+T

Check it out:

5 Excel Skills you should have learned in school (but didn't): 📊 Combine Text using "&"

Let's say you have a list of First & Last names you need to combine.

• Select the destination cell
• For our example the function will be:
👉🏻 =A3&" "&B3
• Press "Enter"

It's that easy.

How to build an automatic mini-calendar inside Google Sheets: 🗓️ Step 1: Month Name Header

• Select 2 Rows across 7 Columns
• Select 'Merge'
• Data → Data Validation
• Date → Is Valid Date

Like This:

How to build an interactive Excel Dashboard (step-by-step): 📊 Step 1: Setup

For the sake of this tutorial, I've gone ahead & created an Excel workbook with a bit of sample data.

If you'd free copy, click the link below and you can download a template of the exact spreadsheet I am using here:
bit.ly/3L38q5L

Research suggests 80% of people abandon their New Year's resolutions by February.

As they say, "If you fail to plan you plan to fail."

Here are 5 spreadsheet templates to help you land in the 20% that stick with it: 📊 Get In Shape:

In 2019 I lost nearly 100 lbs.

No fad diet. No crazy routines.

I tracked what I ate and exercised regularly.

You don't need something complicated, you need something that works.

Here's the simple sheet I used:
blakeburge.com/google-sheets-…

The Top 10 must-have Excel skills everyone should know: 📊 #10 – Sparklines

One of my personal favorites.

Sparklines allow you to insert miniature graphs inside an individual cell to easily visualize data.

•Select range
•Insert ⇢ Sparkline
• Choose type