2x2: Good Work

Hello! Shawn here. And welcome to this week’s edition of the 2x2 Newsletter. Your premier Friday email for doing the important work that matters while creating and protecting your free time to enjoy life. I’m so glad you’re here. Check this out 1: [The Good Work Podcast]( Just launched is this brand-new podcast from my dear friend, Barrett Brooks. If you care about being a mission-driven, heart-forward creator, builder, and leader… then this is the show for you. 2: [“Leadership is a repeatable skill…”]( Excellent list of raw notes from Jim Barksdale’s 13 most important qualities of effective leaders. Something to think about 1: Meta Work vs Doing the Work There are [4 necessary steps]( to doing work that matters: - Identify - Plan - Act - Celebrate Notice how only one of those steps is actually doing the work? The other three steps are what we call “meta work”. Meta work is the work that happens before and after the work itself. If you’re cooking dinner, meta work is doing your meal planning and going grocery shopping and then cleaning up after dinner. If you are writing an article, meta work is [scheduling your writing time and topic](. There are so many times when we feel like meta work is a waste of our time. Planning, meetings, reviews, etc... why bother!? Let me get to work! To be sure, we never want the meta work to become a form of procrastination. But neither can we skip it. When you look at the meta work in context of the bigger picture, you can instantly see that it is necessary. You cannot skip any of the steps or else you will short-circuit the whole process. But, of course, neither should you spend too much time on the meta steps. 2: How to 3x your chances of actually doing an important task Speaking of meta work... if you take a few minutes to create an implementation intention for your task, then you are 3x more likely to do that task (as opposed to simply writing the task down). What’s an implementation intention? It’s simply deciding when and where you will do something. * * * — Shawn P.S. Next month I’ll be working directly with a small group of 15 small business owners to help them run their business on a part-time schedule. I have a couple spots available still. If you’re interested in joining us, hit reply and I’d be happy to give you more details.  [Time Blocking + Tracking (Half-Priced for April)]( I can speak from experience when I say that a healthy schedule creates MORE freedom. Contrary to popular belief, having boundaries and “blocks” around your time will create a more liberating and enjoyable schedule for you. I’m not a “naturally organized” person. But I’ve been able to remove the mess from organizing my schedule, and get back hours of my life each week, by using the same, [simplified and straight-forward time management approach that we teach you right here](. And, for the month of April, you can get it for half-price. Sweet! 👉 [Get the Time Blocking + Time Tracking course for half-price.](  👋 Whenever you’re ready, here are 4 ways I can help you: 1: [Start with the]([free Focus Assessment]( to get your personalized roadmap to eliminate busywork, procrastination, and burnout. 2: Join 3,500 creative professionals who have declared their goals and reset their schedule to do more of the important work that matters. Get instant access to the [Focus Course](. 3: [Join our growing Membership community]( and get your all-access pass to our entire course library along with weekly accountability and ongoing workshops. (Recommended.) 4: Business Owners: Interested in working with me to run your full-time business on part-time hours? Hit reply and let’s chat. My next group program kicks off in May.  [In-Depth App Training for Power Users]( To unsubscribe, click [here](. Blanc Media, 714 Main St., Grandview, MO 64030, United States