A couple of weeks back I listened to a cheeky podcast with David Perell & Tyler Cowen.

For those not in the know:

David Perell is a writer, teacher and podcaster most widely known for his online writing course Write of Passage.

And Tyler Cowen is the economist, writer and brains behind the most imaginatively named podcast on iTunes, Conversations with Tyler.

As David & Tyler gabbed away about productivity, Tyler was asked an interesting question about a book he was writing:

So how do you know if what you’re doing now is working productively?

Tyler’s answer?

I don’t.  I really don’t.  And I don’t assume that the book is productive or the right thing to do. There’s just a compulsion in me to figure out ideas about the next topic and it will bug me until I’ve figured it out as well as I can for the time being. 

I remember Mr 4 Hour Work Week (aka Tim Ferriss) saying something similar a few years ago about a book he was writing.

A quick scurry on YouTube and I found the quote from Tim:

It was easier for me to get it out of my head than it was for me to live with it in my head

I’ve noticed this too.

When I wrote my eBook three or so years ago, it was almost an obligation.  A deep, instinctive feeling I couldn’t shake that writing the book was something I simply needed to do and I knew it would irk me until I had.

I feel the exact same way with the new book I’m working on now.

Now you could see this compulsion as an evil, sinister voice leading us mischievously astray.  But I see it more as an angel on my shoulder guiding me in the right direction.

No less than Steve Jobs himself said it best:

Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.  They somehow already know what you truly want to become.

I think this is why ignoring this “pull” often feels so icky.  It means turning our back on our deepest & truest inclinations.

And it seems to me that anyone who gets up to anything interesting is in touch with this feeling, treating it seriously and then actually following through & acting on it.

i.e. doing the work.

But let’s face it.  Doing the work isn’t always a walk in the park.

Even when you sit down at your desk or laptop ready to get started, your sluggish, tired or foggy brain might have a different plan.

Cue daydreaming, procrastination and before you know it another day is over.  And then another day after that.

All of which brings me to the nub:

My friend Onjae Malyszka, a holistic brain health coach, has created a handy guide called The Top 5 Brain-Boosting Supplements to Get Sh*t Done.

The guide is designed to help you regain your focus and clear your brain fog.

I thought you might like it.  Especially if you're someone who often feels scatterbrained, distracted or overwhelmed by all the tasks on your to do list.

If you'd like to pick up a copy of Onjae's guide, here’s where to go:

https://neurodoses.com/focus

That’s all for today.

 - Tom