The Power of Physical Reminders

Hey friends,

This week’s message is pretty simple: never underestimate the power of physical reminders.

For the past weeks my team and I have used four big Magic Whiteboards (stuck to the studio wall) to plan all our YouTube content. It’s honestly been a huge productivity hack.

We do have a detailed production calendar in Notion. But having our guiding goals and principles on the wall keeps everyone focused and working in sync on big goals that matter.

(Btw I’m using these OG Magic Whiteboards.)

Here’s what’s on the 4 whiteboards:

1. YouTube Clubs
   A list of the 12 ‘types’ of video that I tend to make, including Tech Club, Health Club, Business Club, etc. If I ever get stuck thinking of a video idea, I glance at the list and ask myself ‘which of these have I not covered recently?’
2. Rules of the Game
   It’s hugely helpful to have these guiding principles on the wall - it reminds everyone (especially me) of what makes a good video, and of our high production standards. It’s so easy to technically know something (like ‘always have a snappy video hook’) but still forget to apply that knowledge. I try to run through the whole list before filming/uploading any video.
3. Project Blow Up the Channel With Shorts
   ​YouTube Shorts can drive a lot of extra views, netting more subscribers who’ll get value from my long-form videos. So I’m trying to consistently publish a lot of them, using this content board as inspiration. This is similar to the Seinfeld Strategy - build up a streak for long enough and you won’t want to break it. Filming a big batch of Shorts can feel a bit tedious, but this chart helps me internalise that it’s all part of a grand plan rather than being pointless grunt work.
4. Project Long Form
   Similar concept to the Shorts board. I’m aiming to publish roughly x2 long-form videos per week, and this chart reminds me + the team of that commitment every day. I write down what videos we’re aiming to release that week, and we all get a little kick of satisfaction when they’re uploaded and crossed off.

If you find yourself getting lost in the nitty-gritty of everyday life, I highly recommend giving yourself some physical reminders. Streak charts, wall calendars, Post-It notes – they’re all a good, constant reminder of your priorities.

I’ll report back in a few weeks on how this experiment plays out.

Most ‘productivity hacks’ feel game-changing for the first week or so, then get less effective as the novelty wears off… But that’s a topic for another issue 😛

Have a great week!

Ali xx

✍️ Paperlike 2.1

If you own an iPad, I can’t recommend Paperlike screen protectors enough.

They make your iPad’s surface feel more like paper when you’re drawing or writing with an Apple Pencil, giving you more precision and a nice tactile sensation. I have Paperlike protectors on all my iPads, and the slight stroke resistance makes a huge difference.

Paperlike’s “secret sauce” is a thin layer of nanodots on the surface that minimise glare, so you get a nice clear image. And with their new Paperlike 2.1 model, Paperlike have spread those nanodots even more evenly across the screen to improve visibility (+ keeping the same feel as before).

If you already have an Apple Pencil but never use it, adding a Paperlike screen protector might just change your mind. Check out the Paperlike 2.1 here.

Thanks to Paperlike for sponsoring this issue of Sunday Snippets 🙏

♥️ My Favourite Things

🎙️ Deep Dive Podcast - Daniel Priestley: How Anyone Can Develop The Mindset Of A Multi-Million Dollar Entrepreneur. Daniel’s the author of Oversubscribed, my most-highlighted book ever on Kindle. This podcast episode was a bit of a business masterclass, with Dan diving into the most important lessons from his books.

📚 Book - My Body by Emily Ratajkowski. An unusual read for me - and partly because of that I found it particularly illuminating. It’s about Emily’s experience as a model, and the weirdness of profiting from your looks and being hyper-sexualised. Very interesting to hear about ‘pretty privilege’ from the inside, including some of its downsides.

📝 Article - Surprising Implications of Treating Self-Help as Art by Cedric Chin. A really good article on how to approach self-help guides. Cedric lays out a bunch of guidelines forgetting the most out of books like Atomic Habits. Eg: try not to argue about theory - judge productivity advice by its actual results.

🃏 Source of Inspiration - Unblock Cards by Chris Hau. I’ve been a fan of Chris Hau for over 4 years now, and I love his new Unblock cards. They’re essentially a fancy deck of 50 cards, and each one has a strategy, question, or affirmation written on it to help you combat creative blocks. Eg ‘use the same concept but a different tool.’ That sounds a bit silly, but as Chris says, ‘holding something in your fingers triggers the mind in ways a screen still can’t replicate.’

🎬 My New Videos

🚨 12 Productivity Myths That Are Ruining Your Life - Over the years I’ve come across a lot of different productivity tips. And some of them aren’t actually not that productive… I break down 12 of those myths in this video.

✍️ Quote of the Week

School is one thing. Education is another. The two don’t always overlap. Whether you’re in school or not, it’s always your job to get yourself an education.

From Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon. Resurfaced using Readwise.