Take back your independence with these throwback Monday Mavens editions

From achieving financial freedom to breaking free from digital clutters, here are some ways you can do to defend your productivity.

As we celebrate the 78th Indonesian Independence Day this week, let's look back and take notes from these past Monday Mavens Editions. We’ve selected these 3 editions to revisit and remind ourselves to stay on track with our productivity independence.

It’s time to save your self-sabotage tricks for later, and put your productive habits in the front line.

Image source: Getty Images

Leaving outdated beliefs behind

In our edition on Adaptability, we dove deep into the art of unlearning unproductive habits. Though posted over 2 years ago in July of 2021, this edition remains relevant as we learn to unlearn some mindsets that could set us back.

• The 6 steps of unlearning

  • Take inventory of what you’ve learned.

  • Ask questions.

  • Seek understanding of ideas that run counter to your existing knowledge.

  • Rebuild based on new information you’ve gathered.

  • Own your knowledge.

  • Share your knowledge with those around you.

• Reasons unlearning could be uncomfortable

  • Your own internalized biases.

  • Your own shame.

  • Anger.

  • The beginning of growth.

• The 3 methods to rewire the brain

  • The 7-Day Mental Diet by Emmet Fox

  • The 21-Day Meditation Experience by Deepak & Oprah

  • “May Cause Miracles” by Gabrielle Bernstein

Check out more details of the tips above in the full Monday Mavens edition here.

Breaking free from digital clutters

Not only internally within the mind, freedom can also be achieved in the form of freeing ourselves from unnecessary digital footprints and wastes. Our Digital Minimalist edition captured this perfectly back in February of 2021.

Steps to start a digitally minimalist life:

1. Think about what you value in life (e.g. personal development, friendships, career growth) and write them down.

2. See if the digital tools you use such as devices and apps, actually help you serve those values.

3. Delete unnecessary apps and make space for productivity apps.

4. Learn to spend time with yourself.

5. Create digital rules such as only checking social media for certain times a day.

Building new habits for better consumption:

1. Ask yourself these questions to determine whether you should continue to consume certain content:

   • Does this make me feel happy or excited?

   • Does this make me smarter or teach me something useful?

   • Does this help me become a kinder person? 

   • Does this make me better at my profession or passion?

2. When the answer is no, take action such as:

   • On your Internet browser, remove all bookmarks you no longer need.

   • With your email, unsubscribe from everything you open just to get rid of the notification, or things that you just ignore completely.

   • Remove everything on your to-read, to-listen, or to-watch list on Netflix, YouTube, or other streaming services that has been there for more than a month.

The steps above might look pretty straightforward, but they are way more difficult to implement that we’d think. Read more about Digital Minimalism here.

Achieving financial freedom

Definitely not something that can happen overnight, but the goal of being financially independent needs to at least be on your top 5 goals at all times. Managing finances is indeed quite a personal journey, but it’s something we can all learn from each other.

1. What it means to be monetarily stable

   1. You have a dependable cashflow that allows you to live the life you want.

   2. You aren’t worrying about how you’ll pay your bills or sudden expenses.

   3. You aren’t burdened with a pile of debt.

2. Tips for steady financial progress

   1. Take stock of your spending

   2. Automate payments and savings

   3. Plan shopping trips in advance

   4. Do the math for budgeting

3. Things to incorporate to level up financially

   1. Start a side hustle

   2. Budget everything

   3. Pay yourself first

   4. Stop trying to act rich

   5. Live well below your means

The lists above are gentle reminders for all of us to stay on track with our finances, as it is one of the main pillars of true freedom. Learn more here.

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Have you read any of the past Monday Mavens editions mentioned above before?

If this is your first time hearing about them, share the word around so your colleagues, too, can feel the taste of productivity freedom.

Check back again next Monday for a brand new Monday Mavens edition!