Happy Saturday, friend!

We’re back again with another edition of Productivity + Habits + Fun

😃 Fun Fact of the Week

The Statue of Liberty was once a lighthouse.

It was dedicated in 1886, and one month later, it functioned as a lighthouse, visible up to 24 miles away.

🐦 Tweet of the Week

At the very least, we can always cheer someone on.

You never know when a little support will be the push someone needs to make something great happen.

💪 Featured Productivity Tip

The Maui Habit: as soon as your feet hit the floor in the morning, proclaim out loud: “It’s going to be a great day!” (With enthusiasm!)

This idea comes from BJ Fogg and his book Tiny Habits: The Small Changes That Change Everything.

He began this practice in Maui after receiving a birthday card that read “Every Day Is A Gift.”

I think this is a great way to set the tone for the day, even if you aren’t a morning person.

Setting an intention will help direct your efforts, and you all know how I feel about maintaining a positive attitude. (Do it.)

And what better time than to do this at the beginning of the year!

🕰️ The Daily Routines of Famous Creatives

Immanuel Kant: slept from 10pm to 5am, only 1 hour of creative work, 1 hour of exercise in the afternoon, and 4 hours of administrative work/ “day job”

Victor Hugo: slept from 10pm to 6am, 6.5 hours of creative work split between morning and afternoon, 2 hours of exercise

Richard Strauss: slept from 10pm to 8am (10 hours of sleep), 4 hours of creative work in two different periods of the day, 1.5 hours of exercise broken into two sessions

As you can see, there's no one-size-fits all approach to structuring your day.

These folks found their way to get the most gains for what worked for them.

Can you say the same about your day?

If you think you can do better, but you don't know how to start, the first step is simple:

Reply to this email, and I'll see how I can help you.

🏙️ The World’s Largest Cities By Population

It depends on how you define it, but the majority of these cities are Asian.

🤔 Decision-making Idea

Anchoring: we tend to make an assumption based on the first piece of information we receive.

Example: You’re in a mall and notice a designer bag is marked 50% off. You immediately assume it must be a good deal.

Here’s another example courtesy of Alex Hormozi:

• Large popcorn - $10.00

• Medium popcorn - $8.50

• Small popcorn - $5.00

Which option are you most likely to choose?

In this example, you’re most likely to choose the large popcorn.

Why?

The medium popcorn is priced closer to the large one, so it seems like there’s a smaller gap in pay for a larger amount of popcorn.

The medium popcorn is the anchor in this pricing example.

Let’s look again:

• Large popcorn - $10.00

• Medium popcorn - $6.50

• Small popcorn - $5.00

How about now?

Chances are, you’ll choose the medium because it seems like a better deal compared to the other options.

Anchoring is a powerful tool.

Be on the lookout for it!

🧠 Quote of the Week

We are officially into the New Year!

I know many of you made some resolutions, hopefully with the Dangers of New Year Resolutions in mind. (Please see last week’s newsletter or the tweet from 12/31/2023.)

To get to the hard question directly:

How’s your resolution going?

If the statistics are accurate, about 25% of all New Year Resolutions have already been abandoned.

If this is you, don’t give up.

We’re in the early days, and there’s plenty of time to recover.

But your best chance of success is to recommit immediately.

If you’re stuck, reply to this email, and I’ll see how I can help.

Special Message

Hey, all!

I just wanted to officially wish you a very happy and prosperous 2024!

I hope you have a great plan in place to be as productive as you’d like to be.

I also hope your habits and sleep are on point.

If I can help you in any way, just reply to this email. :)

Thank you so much for spending some of you precious time with me. 🙂

I’m always looking to improve, so hit “reply” and let me know what you think!

Have an awesome week.

Sincerely,

Steven Sanders

PS - I hope to see you on X, Instagram, and LinkedIn!