Over the past few years, I’ve been refining my lifestyle with a focus on productivity and wellbeing. I’ve developed strategies, habits, and hacks that have significantly improved my time management, execution, and overall satisfaction. I’m documenting these not just to share with others but also to revisit them in the future, assessing their long-term impact.
Table Of Contents:
Home
A Place for Everything
- Organized Living: Every item I use daily has a specific place. This includes keys, wallets, remote controls, water bottles, and even the pockets where I keep my phone and keys.
- Outdoor Gear: My tennis shoes, used on clay courts, are kept outside to prevent indoor mess.
Prepare the environment
- Next-Use Readiness: After each activity, like eating or drinking mate, I clean and prepare the area for its next use.
Clothes system
- Laundry Management: I have a washer machine. I use a reminder to wash the clothes on Tuesdays. Dirty clothes are sorted into two buckets - one for whites and another for colored and black clothes. Clean clothes are organized in stacks, following a FIFO (First In, First Out) system to ensure even usage.
Kitchen
- Minimalist Cutlery: I keep only two sets of cutlery and plates readily accessible, encouraging cleanliness and order.
- Alphabetical Organization: Cutlery is arranged in Spanish alphabetical order: “Cuchara - Cuchillo - Tenedor”.
Bedroom
- Device-Free Zone: I avoid electronic devices in the bedroom. The only exception is my Apple Watch, which I use for the silent alarm to wake up (it vibrates on my wrist).
Groceries
- Stock Management: I maintain a list of essential household items, including preferred brands. When stocks run low, I reorder online for delivery, saving time and decision-making effort.
This saves a lot of time, given I don’t have to go the supermarket, and I also don’t have to think about which brands to choose for each item.
My tip here would be to start writing down the items you usually need, and which brands you like the most. Over time, you will get a list packed with all the things you like.
Lights - Motion Sensors
- Automated Lighting: Philips Hue bulbs and motion sensors provide convenient and adjustable lighting throughout my home.
Reminders
October 2024 Update: Apple finally integrated Reminders into Calendar, so goodbye Google Tasks
I use Reminders integrated with Calendar for routine reminders, such as bill payments, weekly planning, and personal care tasks. Despite some overlap with Notion, which I use for day-to-day tasks, this system works well for me.
Notion Daily TODOs:
Reminders:
Life
Health / Fitness
- Health Tracking: I maintain a Notion database of medical appointments.
- Training: I have a routine for each day I go to the gym. I keep it simple, a Notion page with the exercises and the load.
- Appointment Reminders: I have reminders every 6 months to go to the dentist, and to schedule a call with my main doctor. Every 1 year, to take a blood test. And every 3 months with the nutritionist.
Meal Logging
I have A Notion calendar to track my meals.
This is great because it contains a one-to-many relationship to my people database, so I know who I shared each meal with.
It also contains a one-to-one relationship with my Restaurant database.
Meal Log:
Person Page:
My Profession
- Professional Development: Daily article reading in my industry.
- Write articles: Maintaining this blog and writing about things I find cool.
I really enjoy what I do, so I don’t find myself relying on productivity hacks to stay productive at work. I just enjoy what I do and I’m really happy with how I feel and the results I can produce.
Travel
- Travel Packing: A default packing list in Notion ensures I never forget essentials.
Other
- Trusted Contacts: A curated list in Notion of reliable service providers.
- Fashion Choices: I prefer clothing from Zara, Hollister, Adidas, and Nike. I also only use 1 brand for underwear, and 1 brand for socks. In fact, all of my socks are the exact same model/color, so every one of them is a pair with any other one.