Reduce Inputs to Create More Focus, Why You Need Margin, and More

Here are the things we published this week and last. You can also stay up-to-date by following us on Twitter and RSS.

Also, we have a weekly email newsletter that sums up all the new and cool things published to the site. If you like to stay up-to-date via email, then you should sign up here.

Create More Focus and Margin by Reducing Inputs »

You need input, advice, and inspiration in order to make decisions, come up with new ideas, or take action on something.

But with too many inputs (especially too many non-essential inputs), your ability to think clearly and make decisions is hindered. It leads to less progress, dual focus, and, ultimately, very little traction.

Three Signs You Need Margin »

How would you describe your average day?

Here are some common answers I see to this question. People often describe their day as being:

• Busy
• Overwhelming
• Stressful
• Crazy
• Full

In contrast, how would you describe your ideal day? How do you WISH your average day was?

For me, my average day is generally fulfilling, fun, and productive.

As much as I love a good vacation in the Colorado mountains, I would get a bit stir crazy if I didn’t ever have something to put my hand to. And, of course, if all I ever did was work, I’d burn myself out — which is what I used to do.

I used to work 70 hours a week. In 2015 I only took about 10 days off the whole year. I even worked over my Christmas vacation! Yikes.

It took me years to become comfortable with taking time off. Evenings, weekends, long lunches, even vacations… I would feel guilty if I wasn’t cramming every minute of my day with something productive and important.

Dr. Richard Swenson writes, in his book on Margin, that we must “develop the necessary underpinnings for margin that will allow us to accept its importance without guilt. For just as we need to eat and sleep, so we also need to breathe.”

When you’re at capacity, there is no room for anything else. But when there is space left over — when there is margin — that space enables you to breath.

Quick Tip: How to use sub-tasks in Notion »

Notion is constantly coming out with new features, which as an avid user, I greatly appreciate. One of the most notable new features is sub-tasks and dependencies. This is a fantastic new feature for those who work on a team in Notion, making it an even stronger contender with Asana.

The dependency feature lets you know what tasks need to be completed before another one, a great feature for teams who work using the Scrum and Agile project management method.

Polar Habits – A “Cool” New Habit Tracker (Without the Guilt) »

There are a million habit-tracking apps out there. But almost all of them are built on some form of the idea, “Don’t break the chain.”

The basic idea is that when you consistently show and take action, you create a lot of momentum toward creating positive change. And that makes a lot of sense. But when you mess up and break your streak, it can be pretty discouraging.

This is great for helping you keep an established habit going, but it can be frustrating when you fall off the wagon.

If you’ve felt this before and are looking for a habit tracker to help you make positive changes without the guilt, then you need to check out Polar Habits.

Polar Habits is a simple web app that allows you to create habits and build momentum by completing them. The momentum is calculated by adding the number of days you’ve consecutively completed the task or subtracting the number of days you’ve consecutively missed and is displayed visually in a Dashboard.

Notion Habit Tracker: The ultimate guide and template for 2023 »

“Habits are the compound interest of self improvement” — James Clear

This time of year, everyone is talking about goals. And New Year Resolutions. And Progress. And taking over the world.

Over here at The Sweet Setup, we’ve been talking about habits a lot lately. Without habits, your New Years Resolutions, Goals, and plans to take over the world will most likely fall pretty flat.

In James Clear’s book Atomic Habits he talks about the importance of how habits help you not only to play the game, but to actually win the game. But how do you know if you’re winning the game unless you’re tracking your progress?

Interesting Links From Our Friends and Around the Web »

• (David Smith) Widgetsmith += 100,000,000
• (MacStories) Microsoft Outlook for Mac Is Now Free to Use
• (Six Colors) Video: Live with the yellow iPhone
• (Mac Power Users) #682: Full of Surprises
• (Christopher Lawley) Mac Tips & Tricks for Taking Advantage of Your Computer