One of the great productivity paradoxes is that the more we have to do the less we actually get done. Sound familiar? Why does this happen? And more importantly what can you do mow through your to-dos when they threaten to overwhelm you? Keep reading and find out. Why is it so hard to get […]
The simplest (and really effective) to-do list strategy in the world
We can get really fancy here at Amazing Marvin with our to-do list strategies. And there is a place for those advanced strategies. But if you like to keep things simple you are in luck. Because in this post I will show you one of the simplest to-do list strategy in the world. And it […]
The two types of to-do lists and why you need both
It would be difficult to find an adult on this planet that has never written a to-do list. The to-do list is often the first attempt of gaining some control over your life when you feel like you are drowning in responsibility. But to-do lists come in many forms. And understanding the different types of […]
How many hours can you actually be productive in a day?
In the 9-5 era, much is made of squeezing every last drop of productivity to get ahead in the world. But realistically, how many hours can a human actually be productive and get work done each day? Is it realistic to actually work for eight hours a day, like many people are still paid to […]
How to increase productivity by changing your sleep habits
Here is a question I see a lot in productivity forums: “How can I get by on less sleep so I have more time to work?”. In this post I want to show you why that is the wrong question to ask and going down this road will make all your productivity problems worse. But […]
5 creative ways to use labels in your to-do app
Labels are probably one of the most commonly used features in a to-do app. While there are some great standard use cases for labels, let’s have a look at some more creative ways to use labels to help you get more done. Beware of over-labeling! But first a little warning: over-labeling is a real thing. […]
How to add tasks to Amazing Marvin with Siri
If you want to tell Siri to add a task to your Amazing Marvin to-do list, this post is for you. There are several ways to set this up. In this post I will show you how to do this with the Shortcuts app from Apple. Quick and free Setting this up will only take […]
How to add tasks to Amazing Marvin with Amazon Alexa
While Amazing Marvin does not have an Alexa integration (yet!) you can get tasks into Marvin with Alexa by using the “Email to Marvin” strategy and the free service IFTTT. What is IFTTT? IFTTT is a free service that allows you to connect two apps to setup automatic actions between them. When something happens in […]
The water baby method of fighting procrastination
Procrastination is a complex beast. But it is far from an automatic death sentence for your dreams and aspirations. Even if it often feels that way. No matter how bad your procrastination is, how ingrained the habit is and why you do it there is hope. Procrastination can be fixed. If you are serious about […]
Workflow: Daily priorities Matrix
The idea with this workflow is to have your daily task list split up into four lists based on priority and then work off one list after the other. The four lists will be displayed as a Matrix like so: On the top left you have the tasks you absolutely must do today. Once those […]