2024 - The Birth of Maximize Your Minutes

A round up and a special gift

Image created by author using DALL-E

This year has flown by quicker than a toddler wearing a fleece onesie on a big slide.

As we’re approaching the Christmas holiday, I wanted to quickly share with you a brilliant copying strategy that I learned recently from my sister.

It’s a very simple way to bring your attention back inwards and onto topics that you love, which will help you go from bad mood to good mood in record time.

It’s a great tool to have in your back pocket if the Christmas break gets too much at any point.

How it works:

You ask yourself five questions and really feel the answers:

1. What is your favourite food? Taste it now.

2. What is your favourite thing to look at? Transport yourself there now.

3. What is your favourite thing to touch? Feel it now.

4. What is your favourite smell? Imagine it now.

5. What is your favourite sound? Think about it now.

This exercise quickly took me from ‘meh’ to ‘I feel really good.’

Try it!

It’s also good to think about the ‘why?’ at the end, because the longer you make the sensations last, the better it feels.

In case anyone is interested, here are my answers:

1. Fried chicken from Chick King in Tottenham, North London. They have a terrible football team (We’re all Arsenal fans in this house!) but their chicken is the best in the country.

2. The rolling Surrey Hills, lots of blue sky, and no people around.

3. Climbing into fresh, clean, and warm bed sheets.

4. The Jasmine flower in Cyprus – the warmth really brings out its divine smell.

5. The leaves rustling on tall trees in the breeze.

☺️

This week’s newsletter is a roundup of all my posts from the year, conveniently packaged into topics based on what you might be looking for.

I’m taking a couple of weeks off now to spend time with my family.

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas break and get the rest that you need.

Thank you for reading Maximize Your Minutes in 2024.

Enjoy!

-Selda

I want to save myself hours of time

This productivity tip will make your relationships more interesting

Break free and from ‘normal’ and watch your productivity skyrocket

How to make overwhelm obsolete with this simple skill

What I learned from a magician about working smarter not harder

Why I take on more, not less, for a simplified life

How you speak to yourself determine how much you get done

I want to manage my energy and wellbeing better

Why rest is important and how to get more of it

How to say ‘no’ and avoid floundering energy levels – An introverts guide to setting boundaries

The hidden frequencies affecting our health

7 ways I hacked my circadian rhythm to get more done

Micro movement for health and productivity

How your smile is the ultimate productivity tool

Is exploiting temptation the best way to deliver superior performance?

Mental resilience and mouth breathing in sport

I want to maintain better focus

The astonishing results meditating every day for 2 years gets you

5 forgotten distractions and how to tame them

8 weird reasons why I hate the Pomodoro technique

When you need extra focus, do this simple exercise

If you want to save your sanity, focus on one thing at a time

I want to get better at prioritising

3 unusual steps to reclaim your to-do list

To-do lists are pointless without this unusual first step

How I prioritise

I want to get unstuck more quickly

How I reset my brain – going from muddled to clear

Lost motivation? 4 ways to get it back quickly

Build up your anti-procrastination muscle with this easy hack

I want to have a better work life balance

Email is like laundry. It’s good to stay on top of it

Stuck in analysis paralysis? Unlock the way to clarity

Make yourself curve-ball proof with this easy strategy

Setting goals – ‘SMART’ – that old chestnut

How I create a work life balance

I want a better routine

How successful people maintain a morning routine…even during challenging times

How I create new routines

I want to learn and remember things more easily

2 odd things you need to know to remember anything

When you learn new skills, challenge yourself too

I want to stay productive even when working with others

The truth about being a lone wolf, and why it’s no good for your productivity

A workplace full of obnoxious people vaporizes your productivity

I want to use AI more

5 powerful prompting concepts to make your work 300% better

Three different AI use cases – chatbots, research assistant, and rapid market research

Building a lead magnet experiment with AI

Building a game experiment with AI

What my 15 month old (and yours) can teach ChatGPT

AI bedtime stories…part 1- AI writes a bedtime story for my child

Life as a working parent and why I started this newsletter in the first place

Hi I’m Selda! Want to make more time for the things you love without sacrificing your already limited downtime?

There are different productivity phases for every chapter of parenting

Sippy cups, second brains and secret codes (sept)

Calpol, weeds, sea, and sunshine (may)

Fear, culture and red-light therapy (June)

How you speak to yourself determines how much you get done

Setting goals with my kids

Playing snakes and ladders with kids

Keeping my kids motivated

How I function on no sleep

A FREE special end of year gift to all my readers:

Master of the Game: 21 Ancient Productivity Secrets Revealed: How Ancient Civilisations Created Outstanding Wealth, Infrastructure, and Lasting Cultural Legacies Without Burnout, and How You Can Swipe Their Blueprints to Change Your Life

If you have a few minutes, I’d love to know what you’re keen to hear more about in 2025:

Anything else? Feel free to drop a note in the comments.

Thank you.