Digest

This podcast episode covers several key areas. First, Mike announces the upcoming arrival of his baby and shares his emotional response to publicly sharing this news. He then delves into his yearly theme experiment, focusing on establishing routines and the benefits of temporarily abandoning them for perspective. A significant portion discusses his transition from OmniFocus to Asana as his task manager, highlighting Asana's collaborative features and suitability for his growing team. The episode also features a detailed analysis of Mike's time tracking data from 2023 and 2024, showing a decrease in overall work hours, particularly on weekends, and a substantial reduction in podcast editing time. This analysis includes a discussion on the evolving definition of "podcast editing" and the shift from unintentional weekend work to intentional time off. Finally, the hosts review other time tracking categories, including the emergence of "live events" and the positive impact of "air traffic control" meetings. The discussion touches upon the Cortex brand and its performance, exploring potential reasons for year-over-year changes and future time allocation strategies.

Outlines

00:00:00

Announcing Baby News & Productivity System Changes

Mike announces his baby's arrival, discusses his yearly theme of establishing routines and his "anti-theme" experiment of temporarily abandoning routines for perspective, and explains his switch from OmniFocus to Asana for task management due to team growth and project complexity.

00:23:07

Asana Transition & Time Tracking Analysis (2023-2024)

A detailed comparison of Mike's time tracking data from 2023 and 2024 is presented, highlighting a decrease in overall work hours, especially on weekends, and a significant reduction in podcast editing time. The hosts discuss the shift from unintentional weekend work to intentional time off and the evolving definition of "podcast editing."

01:18:45

Podcast Editing, Time Tracking Definitions & Intentional Time Off

The hosts clarify their definition of podcast editing and delve into the significant drop in "weekend" time tracked in 2024, attributing it to a shift in focus from simply non-work time to intentional time off. Different time tracking methods are compared.

01:22:55

Cortex Brand, Time Allocation & Future Strategies

A discussion on the decrease in Cortex brand numbers year-over-year is presented, exploring potential reasons including task delegation and the possibility of reallocating time in 2025. Marketing and branding aspects of the Cortex brand are discussed.

01:24:21

Review of Other Time Tracking Categories & Workflow Improvements

The hosts review other time tracking categories, including "podcast" (increased due to live events), "live events" (a new category in 2024), and "air traffic control" (weekly meetings with an assistant). The positive impact of "air traffic control" time is highlighted.

Keywords

Q&A

• What prompted Mike's switch from OmniFocus to Asana?

  The growth of his team and project complexity necessitated a collaborative task management system. Asana's ability to nest tasks within multiple projects and share selectively solved his previous frustrations with OmniFocus.

• How does Mike utilize time tracking?

  Mike uses time tracking primarily as a tool for intentionality, consciously choosing activities and recording them. He tracks almost everything, using broad categories, and focuses less on detailed data analysis.

• What are the key benefits of Asana for Mike's workflow?

  Asana allows for simultaneous task assignment across multiple projects, enabling better collaboration and visibility. It also allows for granular task breakdown while maintaining a high-level overview, connecting planning and execution.

• What is Mike's "anti-theme" approach, and why did he use it?

  Mike temporarily abandoned his routine-focused theme to gain clarity and perspective before rebuilding his system. He likened it to emptying a room before reorganizing it.

• How did Mike's time tracking data change between 2023 and 2024?

  Mike's overall work hours decreased significantly, primarily due to reduced weekend work. Podcast editing time was drastically reduced, while show prep time increased. This reflects a shift in priorities and workflow optimization.

• What is the significant change observed in the podcast's time tracking data between 2023 and 2024?

  The most notable change is the significant decrease in time allocated to "weekend" activities. This shift reflects a change in approach from simply non-work time to intentional time off, reflecting a conscious effort towards better work-life balance.

• How has the definition of "podcast editing" evolved in this episode?

  The definition broadened to include all post-recording activities before publishing, encompassing tasks beyond just audio editing, such as show notes and social media posting.

• What are the key factors contributing to the decrease in "weekend" time?

  The shift from a theme-based approach in 2023 to a more intentional time-off approach in 2024, where time off is scheduled proactively, especially when anticipating extra work.

• What new category emerged in the 2024 time tracking, and what does it represent?

  "Live Events" emerged, representing the time dedicated to live podcast recordings and related activities, significantly increasing compared to 2023.

• How does the "air traffic control" category contribute to the hosts' workflow?

  "Air traffic control" represents weekly meetings with an assistant to review the week's activities and projects, improving organization and efficiency.

Show Notes