Reflections on The 4-Hour Workweek: Lessons That Made This Quarter Easier

Katie Corbett holds the book, "The 4-Hour Workweek"

By Katie Corbett

Since I owe a lot of my success—and future planning—to the book, “The 4-Hour Workweek,” by Tim Ferriss, I have decided to revisit the book each quarter in 2023. Here are my thoughts in quarter one. I hope this inspires you to pick up a book that helps you live your dreams. Enjoy!

What is Your Vision for Your Latest Creative Project?

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By Katie Corbett

I decided to blog about my latest creative project (my novel) because I want to use this opportunity to brainstorm a little bit. It can be fun to move away from writing serious posts about deep life things, and think a little more about something fun and creative.

I envision my novel expanding into a series. My novel is about a pac of werewolves, and there are five members in the pack, so I would like to write a book from each of their perspectives. The first book in my novel is from the point of you of the pack Alpha. I think, for the subsequent books, I will write from the point of view of each of the other members. I am even playing with the idea of having each book be written in a different genre, but we will see. That is probably quite controversial, so I will get some feedback from my writer friends before making a firm decision.

I also see this book being made into a movie. It would be really cool to do some creative things with that, since one of my characters is blind, and another one experience is impulse control issues because she is a psychopath. I would love to find a creative Director who is interested in Exhibiting each of these characteristics in a fun way, so the audience can experience a little of what life might be like in that person’s shoes.

Are you working on any creative projects right now? What is your vision for your latest project? Is your vision as simple as getting started? I would love to find out, so feel free to leave me a comment.

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Feeling Overwhelmed? Take a Break

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By Katie Corbett

 

When overwhelm starts to occur, it can be easy to try to push through. As a result, you could end up working until you are spent or shut down. I have found it helpful to take a break.

 

Overwhelm can easily happen to me when I need to make multiple choices. The most recent example is that I am tentatively searching for a new dog. There are so many different breeds out there, and it can be overwhelming. I have also taken quizzes and have never gotten the same result twice. And then when it comes to adoptable dogs… It gets even harder.

 

I’m trying my best to take it slow through the process, and take breaks in between research sessions. I’m also trying really hard to be honest about what I’m looking for, so that it will help me weed out the choices that might not be the best for me.

 

Are you in the middle of a project that is overwhelming? What things are you doing to pace yourself and make sure that you are getting all the information you need?

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Keeping The Silence: Leaving Email Notifications Turned Off

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By Katie Corbett

 

I am always looking for ways to maximize productivity and minimize stress. This past week, I tried something new that has helped a lot. When I got back to work after the holidays I left my email notifications turned off.

 

Doing this helped me realize that I am more productive when I can check my email at a time that is best for me. Rather than having a Pavlovian response every time my email pings, I can check the account when I have time and mental bandwidth to do any tasks necessary that might pop up.

I typically check my email mid-morning, again at around noon, and a final time later in the day at around 3:00 PM. This helps me stay on top of things, and make sure that I am not missing anything important without sacrificing focus time.

 

What new hacks are you trying to minimize stress, maximize productivity, and make your life better? Leave a comment and let me know.

 

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Remember in December: Lessons From Quarter Three of 2022

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By Katie Corbett

 

Throughout this month, I am reflecting on what I learned in 2022, quarter by quarter. In the third quarter in 2022, I took time off to visit a friend, planned my first fundraising event, and added a few more chapters to my novel.


in that quarter, I learned that it is important to take things at the pace that they need to happen. In planning the event, I did what needed to be done at the time that it needed to be done. I hadn’t been aware that more chapters needed to go into my novel until they needed to happen. And in terms of taking time off to visit a friend, it was important to take the vacation time when it arose and fully utilize the opportunity when it presented itself.

 

When have you done things in the time that they needed to happen? Have you made the decision to stop accusing yourself of laziness or poor planning and taking life as it has come? What have been the results? I’d love to know, so feel free to leave me a comment.

 

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Where I Find Inspiration

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By Katie Corbett

These days, finding inspiration, particularly for my blog, has been a bit challenging. I normally write about career books, and this trend is not going away, but these days I needed to find another way to update my blog in a more stress-free manner. This caused me to look for inspiration in other places.

 

One place is through my experiences. There have been some weeks that I have used my experiences in order to generate ideas for blog posts. It has been particularly interesting to reflect on my experiences and think about how they shape my writing, my life, and my overall attitude toward things.

 

Another place I look for inspiration is through other people. I have reflected on the relationships in my life, and even used snippets of dialogue I have heard to get inspired. It has been really cool to think about how the people in my life impact me, and how I affect them.

A third place I go for inspiration is apps and prompts. I have an app on my phone called Brainsparker that generates a prompt or idea at scheduled times each day. I also like to look at books, inspirational quotes, and song lyrics to find inspiration for my writing.

 

What inspires you? Where do you go for inspiration when you feel like the well is running dry? I would love to know. Feel free to leave me a comment.

 

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Devotionals Can be For Business, Too

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By Katie Corbett

 

As you can probably tell if you’ve been reading my blog for some time now, I love plans. There are times, however, when I want some of the planning done for me. That’s why I’ve had a lot of success working with books that suggest an activity, thinking prompt, or mindset shift every day, week, month, or season.

 

Books like this are commonly associated with weight loss plans, religious practices, or building healthy money habits. It turns out, these books exist for business activities, too! Listen to this short audio about why I love books like this! Enjoy!

 

Kick Someday Syndrome, Once and For All

Katie Corbett holds the book "One Month to Live"

By Katie Corbett

 

Procrastination can be tempting. It can be easy to sit back and do nothing rather than do what the best version of yourself wants to be doing. Unfortunately, procrastination won’t get you any closer to achieving your dreams, and it can hold you back for years.

 

I read “One Month to Live,” by Chris Shook, at a time when I was leaving a relationship and had a lot of career options to consider. I was feeling nervous, disappointed and hopeful, all at once. It would have been easy to wallow in my emotions. In the book, I read about kicking Someday Syndrome and decided to embrace what I needed to do. Here are some of the benefits I noticed of doing things today; not someday.

 

  • I felt more accomplished.
  • I checked a lot off my to-do list.
  • I didn’t feel lazy or like I was wasting time.
  • I could focus on the future, rather than the past.
  • Taking action was refreshing.
  • I didn’t have time to wallow in unhelpful emotions.
  • I was accomplishing my dreams and improving my life in spite of negative and uncertain circumstances.
  • I could relax at the end of the day knowing I had gotten a lot done.
  • Although I was unemployed at the time, I felt productive.
  • I stopped relying on excuses and found it was faster to take action.

 

If you are looking to beat procrastination and kick Someday Syndrome into the past, I recommend doing the first thing you need to do to get started. That could be as easy as turning on the computer, cleaning off your dresser, or making a list and a plan to tackle one thing at a time.

 

What projects are you motivated to begin? Leave a comment and let me know. Cheers to you and your success!

 

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