Back in 1906, Vilfredo Pareto came up with a concept that has forever changed the…well, every industry. The Pareto Principle, aka The 80/20 rule, was applied early to point out that 80% of the land in Italy was owned by 20% of the people. Over the years, lots of other smart people found that this concept held up in business and productivity…and that’s what I’d like to focus on. It’s typically used to analyze something after the fact, which is fine. But some take it a step further and apply it by filtering out the 80%. That’s where the magic...

Ever feel like there's too much to do, and not enough time to do it? Who doesn't, right? If your to-do list is making you feel burnt out, there's a really easy way to put an end to these feelings. It's a simple system for categorizing things by how they affect your energy. Tasks are either: Energizing Neutral Draining People talk a lot about time management, but I'd argue that energy management is just as important. Why? Because your energy level is what determines the quality of your work. If you're tired, hungry, bored, stressed, etc. your work will suffer,...

When you choose to buy something, you're not just spending the money, you're spending time, your most valuable non-renewable resource. It takes time to decide what to buy, time to buy it, time to unpack it, try it on, set it up, learn how to use it, etc. Then, it takes more time to clean it, maintain it, organize it, repair it, and one day get rid of it. That must be what Thoreau was talking about in Walden: “The cost of a thing is the amount of ... life which is required to be exchanged for it, immediately or...

Doing the perfect thing is more important than doing things perfectly. Most people think of productivity as a series of hacks and tactics to get more done in the same time. There's nothing wrong with that. Being inefficient is a waste of time, our most valuable non-renewable resource. The problem with this line of thinking is that only focusing on how you do something is missing the crucial first step...deciding what to do in the first place. Effective vs Efficient Efficiency = Results / Resources. The less resources you invest to get the results you're looking for, the more efficient...

Think back to something you regret. Maybe it's a big decision that turned out to be the wrong move, or something simple like eating too much or leaving the dishes piled up to deal with the next morning. Either way, feeling regretful is the worst, right? Now imagine being able to go back in time and prevent that feeling. What if you could warn your past self and make the right decision. Poof, no more regret! We'd all do this if we could, but here's the funny part: You don't need a time machine to prevent regret. You can do...

"It does not matter how slowly you go, as long as you do not stop." ~Confucius Think of one of your goals, and imagine achieving it...right now. It'd feel great, right? For a bit, yeah, but the feeling would likely wear off pretty quickly. It usually does. Why is that? It's because of a trait we all share, a term coined "Hedonic Adaptation". To sum it up, we love the thrill of the chase, but the satisfaction we get from catching the thing we were chasing only lasts a little while. Soon after, we find something else to chase, and...

After helping over 1,000,000 people from 100+ countries with their goals & habits since 2013, it's time for the next chapter. MakeProgress.com will be a community focused on helping people achieve their goals, build better habits, and live a happier, more productive life. The first step in bringing this vision to reality is a free 7-day course covering the fundamental building blocks of personal development: Values Goals Systems Planning Tracking Reflecting Accountability The next step was to create a free goal setting course to take a deep dive in to one of the most important aspects of personal and professional...