🍊 This Week's Juice: How I Used AI to Fix My Toilet Bowl, An App I Use Daily, and Setting NICE Goals for Productivity

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Hey friends, I’m in London for the last day of my trip!

I wanted to get personal on this issue.

I want to show you how I personally use AI in my daily life.

Here’s what I’ll be covering today:

Let’s get this started!

- Justin 🍊

Read time: 8mins

1. How I Used AI to Fix My Toilet Bowl (Arc Search, YT) 🚽

Yes, you read that title right.

How does that work?!

I actually used AI as an enabler to beat procrastination.

The truth is this: I procrastinated fixing my toilet bowl for a good month.

There weren’t any handy people left in my house, so I had to do it.

BUT

Getting hands-on isn’t exactly my strong suit too, and I know it.

But I was reading Ali Abdaal’s book on productivity, and it hit me.

I came to the conclusion that there are enablers and blockers every time we procrastinate.

• Blockers are things that prevent me from doing a particular task.

• Enablers are things or tools that empower me to do a particular task.

The trick to beating procrastination is to get enough clarity on the task by utilizing enablers and clearing blockers.

How did I come to this solution?

I’ve always been a tech-lover. I loved computers and coding, and I grew up in the information age (21st century).

I used tech in two phases:

• (1) Information search (YT)

• (2) Aggregated solution searching (AI using Arc Search)

And so I began my research days before.

Although not AI, I watched a couple of videos on YouTube to educate myself on the possible causes.

I narrowed them down to 2:

• A leaking bidet spray head

• Leaking rubber gasket and tank-to-bowl screws

Here’s a pic of my determined face when I had AI as my enabler.

lol.

I then leveraged another tool: Arc Search.

I used Arc Search (an AI-enabled browser app I shared 2 weeks back) to perform a “Browse for me” search for solutions.

While this was my case of using tech as an enabler, you may need to find yours.

It could be:

• Getting info from books

• Getting help from others

• Or simply that you love tools and getting the right ones motivates you

At the core of procrastination, we either don’t have enough headspace to handle it for now, or we are fearful of uncertainty.

With information from AI and videos on YT, I managed to get around to doing it.

If you knew me, you’d know that I would never do handyman things.

APPLICATION:

Think about it—what are some things you’ll be able to handle with the information provided today?

2. An App That I Use Daily: How We Feel 💆🏻‍♂️

I’ve been using an app to track my emotions for months now.

And it’s done WONDERS for my mental well-being.

Plus, it’s free (thanks to donors)!

I recommend it.

It’s called How We Feel.

It’s basically a free emotion-logging app.

Additionally, it has resources for mindfulness, such as guided exercises for emotional awareness and promoting resilience and well-being.

Some key features of this app are:

• Employs a four-quadrant model for users to check in to categorize moods, emphasizing emotional flexibility and awareness.

• Focus on developing emotional flexibility, a crucial aspect of psychological well-being.

• By tracking emotions and patterns, users can enhance their awareness and acceptance of a range of feelings, fostering a healthier relationship with their emotional state.

• Through guided videos and exercises, the app offers valuable tools to manage emotions in real-time.

• A practical self-help tool for users to monitor and regulate their emotional well-being, borrowing approaches from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and others.

Here are the all time emotions I’ve logged over the past few months!

Mostly positive (greens + yellows).

Please reply to this email to let me know if you want me to do a full review of this app, and I’ll do it!

3. Setting NICE Goals for Feel-Good Productivity 🎯

On the topic of productivity and well-being, I recently read Ali Abdaal’s book, Feel-Good Productivity.

Something intrigued me.

It’s a new way to view goals - NICE goals.

NICE goals are an alternative to SMART goals.

It stands for Near-term, Input-based, Controllable, and Energizing.

• Near-term: Focuses on immediate steps that need to be taken, emphasizing short-term actions rather than distant, abstract end goals.

• Input-based: Shifts the focus to the process rather than solely on the outcome, encouraging individuals to concentrate on the effort and actions required.

• Controllable: Emphasizes setting goals that are practical and within one's control, enabling individuals to take ownership of their progress.

• Energizing: Integrates elements of play, power, and people into the goals set, aiming to make tasks more enjoyable and engaging

That’s all great and all, but how does that work in business?

Steps to Create a NICE Goal in Business

1. Near-term (Short-term Goals):

   • Set a timeframe: Within the next four months.

   • Measurable target: Increase monthly sales revenue by 20%.

2. Input-based (Process Focus):

   • Action: Launch a customer loyalty program.

   • Steps:

     • Research and select a suitable loyalty program platform.

     • Develop a rewards structure based on customer preferences.

     • Implement the program and promote it to existing customers.

3. Controllable (Achievable and Realistic Goals):

   • Ensure control: The success of the loyalty program is within the company's control.

   • Breakdown:

     • Assign responsibilities for each step of the program implementation.

     • Monitor progress and adjust strategies as needed to meet the revenue target.

4. Energizing (Engaging and Motivating Goals):

   • Engaging element: Offer exclusive perks for loyal customers.

   • Motivation:

     • Communicate the benefits of the program to employees to generate excitement.

     • Celebrate milestones and successes throughout the implementation process.

I’m the AI guy, so how can I miss out on using AI to make a plan for this goal? ;)

Here’s a MEGA prompt from the info above:

Given the objective to enhance monthly sales revenue by 20% within the next four months, design a comprehensive customer loyalty program as the primary strategy. Your task is to outline the stepwise implementation plan for launching and promoting this program effectively. Ensure that the plan is structured to be controllable, engaging, and focused on achievable outcomes. Consider how the program can be energizing for both customers and internal stakeholders, fostering motivation and excitement throughout the process. Provide a detailed breakdown of responsibilities, milestones, and monitoring mechanisms to track progress towards meeting the revenue target.

Here’s the result from ChatGPT 4:

That's all, folks - see you next Wednesday!

If you have any questions or feedback, reply to this email. (I'll personally reply! :)