Saved answers to common requests
Write the reply properly once, then send it every time it repeats
Certain asks arrive over and over. You write each answer well once and send it from then on. Someone wanting career advice gets a reading list. An author chasing a foreword gets notes on how book promotion actually works. Events hunting a speaker get other names to try. A real answer costs you minutes only the first time, which is what makes it possible to say no and still send something worth having.
People on record
Sorted by strength of stance
Does it: documented as part of their own routine. Recommends: explicitly advises other people to do it. Discusses: covered it substantively without clear personal adoption; this can include criticism or disagreement.
- Adam GrantDoes it
Organizational psychologist · Think Again
Requests he gets constantly have an answer written up already. Strangers after career advice get a list of his favorite books, articles and podcasts. Authors asking for a foreword get his notes on promoting a book, and companies looking for speakers get other names.
Source: WorkLife: How to say no transcript
Aimed at the same thing
Other entries filed under productivity.
- HabitFREE, no cost
Daily reading
A fixed daily reading block, usually books rather than feeds
On record from 25 of 62 tracked people: 23 do it, 2 recommend it - HabitFREE, no cost
Journaling
Writing to unload the mind, usually first thing or last thing
On record from 14 of 62 tracked people: 13 do it, 1 recommends it - HabitFREE, no cost
Early rising
A fixed, early wake time, often before anyone else is awake
On record from 11 of 62 tracked people: 10 do it, 1 has discussed it - HabitFREE, no cost
Daily writing
Write something every day, published or not
On record from 10 of 62 tracked people: 8 do it, 2 recommend it - HabitFREE, no cost
Daily minimum workout
A floor you never drop below: 20 minutes of movement and recovery on your worst day
On record from 6 of 62 tracked people: 2 do it, 4 recommend it - HabitFREE, no cost
Phone-free first hour
No email, news or social media until you have done something of your own
On record from 6 of 62 tracked people: 4 do it, 2 recommend it
Habit entry · notes paraphrased from cited sources, quoted excerpts copied from the transcript they link to. Not medical advice. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or reviewed by anyone listed. How this works.