Did you get caught up in the productivity-boi era of trying to optimize everything to the nth degree?

I did.

I tried it all. Every system, strategy, and hack. Ready every book and blog post and watched every YouTube video about how I should be using a new tool or platform a certain way so I could supercharge my productivity and not waste another second of my life.

The underlying premise was the more you do, the more successful you’ll be.

Compelling. Obviously.

But the more I tried the more I realized people were more obsessed with selling and maintaining their “productivity system” than doing actual work.

So, of course, they didn’t work the way they were advertised.

They weren’t meant to.

How was I supposed to get anything done when I had to spend more time making sure I was following the process exactly or had all of the tools connected properly before I could do what I was putting into the system?

It was exhausting.

And, inevitably I’d always go back to what I was doing before.

I’d go back to writing things down.

Pen and paper.

It’s the one format I’ve consistently used because it doesn’t get in the way and I don’t need to be in some program on my phone or laptop just to know what I need to do.

It’s the best.

And, while none of the systems I tried worked on their own, I was able to take the strategies and tactics that worked and compile them into one lightweight framework I call the Output Journal.

Not Your Typical To-Do List.

The Output Journal isn’t a typical to-do list where I just write everything down and get overwhelmed wondering how I’ll ever get through it all as I constantly add to it.

Not knowing where to start because you have too much to do is just as bad as spending more time optimizing a list than doing anything productive.

The Output Journal also isn’t a system, it doesn’t rely on any technology you need to maintain and doesn’t break down if you need to change it up or miss a day.

Instead, it’s an adaptable framework and way of thinking to help you find clarity, focus, and momentum so you’re always working on the things that matter most.

Output Journal.

The Output Journal comes with two PDFs.

One is an outline of the framework. The other is a dot-grid for notes or whatever else.

You don’t need to use these, any paper or notes app will do, but they’ll at least visualize what I’m talking about.

Then, there are five “how to” emails explaining how to use the framework and the psychology behind why it works.

Day One — Output Journal Instructions

Day Two — Getting Unstuck

Day Three — Finding Relentless Focus

Day Four — Creating Unstoppable Momentum

Day Five — Recap & Achieving Your Goals