MS

Hello, I’m Michael Sliwinski, founder of Nozbe - to-do app for business owners and their teams. I write essays, books, work on projects and I podcast for you using #iPadOnly in #NoOffice as I believe that work is not a place you go to, it’s a thing you do. More…

✔️ Productivity

Productivity-related topics. How I hack my life, do things better, faster and most of all, create long-lasting habits. I’m a constant productivity student. Now focused mostly on team productivity with the recent launch of the new Nozbe.

💌 ✔️ 🔟 Steps To Ultimate Productivity At Work

Thursday, January 25, 2024 /10steps-webinar/

Today I’ll be hosting my first webinar of 2024 and to inspire you all, I’ll be talking about the basics of productivity with particular focus on SMART business owners and work/life balance.

🔟 Steps To Ultimate Productivity At Work


📲 ✔️ ⭐️ In 2023 my iPhone Mini has just ONE home screen

Wednesday, March 8, 2023 /iphonescreen23/

Three years ago I published the details of my iPhone 12 Mini Home Screen and I’ve had basically that same app layout on that Mini, later on the iPhone 13 Pro and then on my new Mini. Only this year I decided to shake things up and reduce the Home Screen to just ONE SCREEN and that’s it:

In 2023 my iPhone Mini has just ONE home screen


🤩 ✔️ Using Systems to Improve Your Productivity

Monday, March 6, 2023 /mark/

Mark Struczewski - also known as „Mr Productivity” invited me to his podcast to discuss our productivity systems. It was a fun show, where we exchanged lots of cool ideas and where we could show the listeners how we can both be right wile differing on our approaches! More info ℹ️

Using Systems to Improve Your Productivity


💼 ✔️ ✏️ How to check if you’re working on the right thing - intersection of joy, skill and what your company needs

Friday, November 18, 2022 /work/

Today is Friday so it’s time for my weekly review and personal development time. I spent it watching some videos from SaaStr YouTube Channel and I found a video by Jason Cohen, the founder of WP Engine where he talked about his journey to $100M. The last part of the video was particularly interesting as he talked about how to find out if you and everyone on your team are working on the right thing. It’s the intersection of JOY, SKILL and NEED of the company and it looks like this:

How to check if you’re working on the right thing - intersection of joy, skill and what your company needs


✔️ ⭐️ Ode to Markdown. Why I love ❤️ writing everything in plain text.

Thursday, April 28, 2022 /markdown/

A few weeks back Derek Sivers wrote why he prefers writing everything in plain text. I totally agree with him, but I’d take it one step further - I write everything in plain text and in Markdown - and you should write like this, too! Here’s why:

Ode to Markdown. Why I love ❤️ writing everything in plain text.


✅ ✔️ Activity - my favorite part of the new Nozbe - or why as CEO I hate asking for status updates

Friday, April 22, 2022 /activity/

Normally on this blog I’m not writing much about details of my app, Nozbe. I write about lessons learned in business, life and the like, but hardly about the particular features of Nozbe app… however when a feature helps me become a better CEO, I think it deserves a highlight. Let me explain why I hate asking people for status updates and why the “Activity” view in Nozbe helps me stay on top of things without doing any kind of asking.

Activity - my favorite part of the new Nozbe - or why as CEO I hate asking for status updates


✔️ Do it this time, stop postponing for next time

Thursday, April 7, 2022 /this-time/

I’m a big fan of Seth Godin and his podcast, Akimbo. In one of the recent episodes, he explained that if something needs improving, we very often tend to say we’ll do it next time, when we should really suck it up, and do it this time. Make the change now, this time, and reap the benefits of the change from now on. Here’s how I see it:

Do it this time, stop postponing for next time


😎 ✔️ I don’t love it!

Wednesday, April 7, 2021 /loveit/

Derek Sivers in his book “Anything You Want” coined the term: Hell yes, or no!. This basically means that if a decision is not an instant, exciting yes for you, it should be a no. Turns out my 4-year old daughter, Liliana, already gets it. She applies a very similar rule: I don’t love it.

I don’t love it!


📲 ✔️ My new minimalist iPhone 12 Mini Home Screen for 2020

Thursday, January 14, 2021 /iphonescreen/

Now after I’ve posted the details of my iPad Pro 11” home screen it’s time to share the Home Screen of my cute iPhone 12 Mini. As I was doing my annual review I decided to also simplify and reduce the number of apps on my iPhone’s screen as well as embrace the two things iOS14 was all about - the widgets and the app directory. Here’s the result:

My new minimalist iPhone 12 Mini Home Screen for 2020


📱 ✔️ Updated and simplified list of iPad apps that help me work #iPadOnly and get lots done on my iPad Pro 11”

Tuesday, January 12, 2021 /ipadscreen/

About three years ago I posted a detailed screenshot of my iPad Home Screen with the list of apps I use that help me work #iPadOnly using iPad Pro 11” as my main computing device. That list hasn’t changed much over the years. Now that we’re entering 2021 I’ve decided to re-think and simplify my app setup. I hope this inspires you to set up your iPad as a more serious computing device that you can carry anywhere.

Updated and simplified list of iPad apps that help me work #iPadOnly and get lots done on my iPad Pro 11”


📱 ✔️ 🖋 🔗 Simplify journaling, daily planning and time tracking with just one Siri Shortcut and iA Writer

Thursday, December 17, 2020 /journal20/

✔️ 🎥 Subscribe to my Team Productivity Show as an audio podcast!

Thursday, November 12, 2020 /audio/

✅ ✔️ 🎬 Live demo walkthrough of Nozbe Teams - how to do GTD in teams?

Thursday, October 22, 2020 /demo/

✔️ ⌨️ Once a week to create a long-lasting habit

Thursday, July 30, 2020 /once-a-week/

✔️ 🖋 🔗 My new journaling routine for 2020 using Shortcuts on iPad or iPhone and Bear app

Wednesday, January 15, 2020 /newjournal/

✔️ 👨🏼‍💻 I challenge you to simplify your life in 2020

Friday, January 3, 2020 /imagazine-20-01/

✔️ Pre-deciding is the key to success.

Wednesday, October 9, 2019 /pre/

📖 ✔️ Why reading the same book again (or several times in life) is OK

Thursday, September 5, 2019 /again/

✔️ 📲 My new smartphone - iPhone SE - why I’m voluntarily switching to the slowest smartphone possible.

Wednesday, August 28, 2019 /iphonese/

✔️ Emailing like texting - how to get back to inbox zero and make every email a GTD “2-minute rule”

Monday, August 26, 2019 /emailing-like-texting/

✔️ 😎 Focusing on the WHEN and not the HOW…

Thursday, August 15, 2019 /when/

🎾 ✔️ No Ironman - how I blew my dream because I was… late

Sunday, August 11, 2019 /noiron/

✈️ ✔️ After 10 years, GTD Summit is back!

Wednesday, June 19, 2019 /gtdsummit/

✔️ Challenge: social media sabbatical for a month

Thursday, April 18, 2019 /sms/

📖 ✔️ 10 Steps to Ultimate Productivity book now available in Traditional Chinese!

Wednesday, March 20, 2019 /10stepstw/

✔️ 📱 🖋 🔗 How intermittent journaling and some smart Siri shortcuts help me enjoy more intentional and productive days

Tuesday, February 5, 2019 /journaling/

✔️ 💼 How I learned JavaScript by studying source code of Basecamp… and how I keep learning programming by studying code written by others…

Monday, February 4, 2019 /source/

✔️ ⌨️ Why “lessons learned” is better than just “lessons” - or how I edit my writing…

Thursday, January 3, 2019 /learnings/

✔️ 😎 Time to start your annual review!

Friday, December 28, 2018 /annual/

✔️ 🗯 Essentialism is easier when you’re forced to choose what’s really important

Tuesday, December 18, 2018 /essential/

📖 ✔️ BOOK LAUNCH - 10 Steps to Ultimate Productivity

Thursday, December 13, 2018 /10stepsbook/

✔️ 📖 Introduction to my new book - 10 steps to Ultimate Productivity

Thursday, December 6, 2018 /10intro/

🎬 ✔️ Blast from the past - the “10 Steps to Ultimate Productivity” Video Course back from 2013 ahead of my book launch!

Tuesday, December 4, 2018 /10steps/

✔️ 💼 Would you pay 20 cents per day for increased productivity?

Tuesday, November 27, 2018 /20cents/

🍎 ✔️ How HomePod turned me into a Siri enthusiast - I finally use voice to get stuff done!

Tuesday, November 20, 2018 /homepod/

✔️ 🗯 Why we need deadlines

Monday, November 19, 2018 /deadlines/

✔️ New habits before the year ends

Thursday, November 8, 2018 /newhabits/

📱 ✔️ 🖋 Workflows that build regular habits and help me get stuff done quicker

Thursday, February 1, 2018 /workflows/

👨🏼‍💻 ✔️ 💻 How wireless headphones improve my productivity… and take me into the future!

Monday, November 20, 2017 /headphones/

✔️ The new 2 hour rule - stop procrastinating and get your scariest tasks done!

Monday, November 13, 2017 /2hours/

✔️ Templates I use to review my day, week and quarter

Friday, November 10, 2017 /review/

✔️ 👨🏼‍💻 My top 5 tricks to improve your productivity almost instantly

Tuesday, May 23, 2017 /top5/

📱 ✔️ A complete list of iPad apps that let me be #iPadOnly

Wednesday, March 8, 2017 /ipadapps/

✔️ My template for doing a Weekly Review

Friday, December 9, 2016 /weekly-review/

✔️ 😎 🖋 How I finally get daily journaling done with a workflow on my iPhone

Wednesday, November 2, 2016 /journal16/

🏝 ✔️ Why “mobile” is a value, “mobile” is important and “mobile” really comes first

Thursday, June 23, 2016 /mobility/

😎 ✔️ Productivity and relationships - why I take my wife on a honeymoon every year?

Tuesday, February 23, 2016 /honeymoon/

👨🏼‍💻 ✔️ Productive Plan for 2016 - how to achieve goals month after month!

Monday, January 18, 2016 /2016plan/

💼 ✔️ It’s all your fault! Even when it isn’t!

Tuesday, October 6, 2015 /blame-yourself/

🏝 ✔️ Do you need to be an introvert to work remotely?

Friday, September 18, 2015 /nooffice-people/

✔️ A Productivity System starts with Inbox

Monday, September 7, 2015 /inbox-start/

✔️ Ask Michael: How to start doing a Weekly Review?

Thursday, August 20, 2015 /ama-weekly-review/

✅ ✔️ How clarity and essentialism helped me get to NozbeZero. No more tasks for today.

Tuesday, August 4, 2015 /nozbezero/

🎾 ✔️ What I learned about productivity, perseverance and long-term thinking from Jenson Button’s win in F1 2011 Canada GP

Friday, July 31, 2015 /jenson-button/

✅ ✔️ 🌎 How I use a project template to implement Pomodoro Technique and Unschedule Calendar every day [on: Nozbe blog]

Thursday, July 30, 2015 /unschedule/

✔️ Ask Michael: Which apps do you use and recommend?

Monday, July 13, 2015 /ama-apps/

✔️ ⌨️ Consistency is key to productivity. How I started blogging every weekday.

Tuesday, July 7, 2015 /consistency/

👨🏼‍💻 ✔️ How to manage notifications and not go crazy?

Thursday, May 28, 2015 /notifications/

✔️ 🏝 Effective Communication in a Team [part 2]: my 7 rules for improving interpersonal relations

Thursday, April 30, 2015 /interpersonal/

✔️ 🏝 Effective Communication in a Team - part 1: my 5 general rules

Monday, April 27, 2015 /communication/

📙 ✔️ Just Do It! Disarm your own perfectionist

Friday, April 24, 2015 /perfectionism/

⌚️ ✔️ Apple Watch - a productivity review

Wednesday, April 8, 2015 /watch-productivity/

✔️ 👨🏼‍💻 My way of project management and planning

Thursday, January 22, 2015 /project-management/

✔️ 😎 How I’m setting my goals for 2015 to get them all done

Friday, January 9, 2015 /goals2015/

✔️ 👨🏼‍💻 How I deal with incoming stuff - my 5 Inboxes: Email, Nozbe, Desk, Evernote & Articles

Friday, November 14, 2014 /inboxes/

✈️ ✅ ✔️ Why we’re so excited about our all-team meeting: 7 steps to an amazing week with my Nozbe team!

Tuesday, November 11, 2014 /team-meeting/

✔️ 😎 ✏️ Next Actions and Holidays: How vacation planning apps can teach you to get organized…

Monday, August 11, 2014 /next-actions-holidays/

✔️ Want to build your digital productivity system? Start with these three apps: Evernote, Dropbox and Nozbe (duh!)

Tuesday, July 15, 2014 /productivity-apps/

✔️ Weekly Read, Episode 1 (interesting things I read and wanted to share with you)

Wednesday, July 9, 2014 /weeklyread-1/

✔️ 🎬 Launching 10 Steps to Ultimate Productivity Course

Saturday, May 25, 2013 /productivity-course/

✔️ Delegation - achieving your goals together with others

Monday, March 11, 2013 /delegation/

✔️ 😎 Combating the Resistance - 10-step productivity course recorded!

Tuesday, March 5, 2013 /recorded-course/

✔️ ✏️ Fighting resistance when being scared

Monday, February 18, 2013 /scary-resistance/

🤩 ✔️ I am number four

Sunday, February 10, 2013 /iamnumberfour/

✅ 💼 ✔️ ✏️ A definitive interview with me - Michael Sliwinski’s story - it’s all about passion!

Thursday, February 7, 2013 /interview/

✔️ 💼 ✏️ Can you “give” productivity? Or is productivity a feature of character?

Monday, January 28, 2013 /give-productivity/

✔️ Remembering Zig Ziglar 1926-2012

Monday, December 3, 2012 /remembering-zig-ziglar-1926-2012/

✔️ ✏️ 10 Steps to Ultimate Productivity Course to be launched soon!

Thursday, October 11, 2012 /10-steps-to-ultimate-productivity-course-to-b/

✔️ ✏️ Getting Tasks Done vs Managing Tasks

Monday, August 27, 2012 /getting-tasks-done-vs-managing-tasks/

✔️ ✏️ Power of Unschedule and Pomodoro Technique

Tuesday, July 17, 2012 /power-of-unschedule-and-pomodoro-technique/

✔️ Trick: how to write long emails without typing much

Thursday, April 5, 2012 /trick-how-to-write-long-emails-without-typing/

✔️ Benefits of splitting a day

Thursday, March 29, 2012 /benefits-of-splitting-a-day/

✔️ How many inboxes do you have? Here are mine

Monday, March 5, 2012 /how-many-inboxes-do-you-have-here-are-mine/

✔️ First thing you do in the morning

Monday, February 27, 2012 /first-thing-you-do-in-the-morning/

📲 ✔️ Recording and Editing videos on iPhone4S is quick and great!

Wednesday, February 22, 2012 /recording-and-editing-videos-on-iphone4s-is-q/

🍎 ✔️ Focus like Steve Jobs

Tuesday, January 17, 2012 /focus-like-steve-jobs/

✔️ I still prefer to have goals

Monday, January 9, 2012 /i-still-prefer-to-have-goals/

✔️ I don’t mind waiting. You shouldn’t too

Monday, August 22, 2011 /i-dont-mind-waiting-you-shouldnt-too/

✔️ Healthy Productivity vs Overworking

Monday, August 15, 2011 /healthy-productivity-vs-overworking/

✔️ Learn to politely decline - saying no for dummies like me

Monday, August 8, 2011 /learn-to-politely-decline-saying-no-for-dummi/

✔️ 5 tricks to keeping your email inbox at zero

Wednesday, July 27, 2011 /5-tricks-to-keeping-your-email-inbox-at-zero/

✔️ 💻 Multiple Monitors boost productivity… a lot

Wednesday, July 20, 2011 /multiple-monitors-boost-productivity-a-lot/

✔️ Why Japanese people are so productive

Saturday, July 2, 2011 /why-japanese-people-are-so-productive/

✔️ Prepare your next day in the evening

Monday, May 30, 2011 /prepare-your-next-day-in-the-evening/

✔️ Mindmapping for Weekly Review and brainstorming

Tuesday, May 3, 2011 /mindmapping-for-weekly-review-and-brainstormi/

✔️ 😎 The Art of Being on Time

Monday, February 14, 2011 /the-art-of-being-on-time/

✔️ A New Policy for 2011 is better than a Resolution

Monday, January 10, 2011 /a-new-policy-for-2011-is-better-than-a-resolu/

✔️ 💻 Single-tasking is good for you!

Monday, November 22, 2010 /single-tasking-is-good-for-you/

✔️ Getting Weekly Review done… after 2 months

Monday, November 8, 2010 /getting-weekly-review-done-after-2-months/

📖 ✔️ Reading audiobooks and absorbing content

Tuesday, October 26, 2010 /reading-audiobooks-and-absorbing-content/

😎 ✔️ Don’t be like waiters memorizing orders

Tuesday, July 27, 2010 /dont-be-like-waiters-memorizing-orders/

✔️ How many emails are you NOT receiving?

Wednesday, July 21, 2010 /how-many-emails-are-you-not-receiving/

✔️ Clearing Pile of Email after business trip

Monday, July 12, 2010 /clearing-pile-of-email-after-business-trip/

✔️ Handling email on business trips

Wednesday, July 7, 2010 /handling-email-on-business-trips/

✔️ Pomodoro technique and other simple ways to get focused… now!

Thursday, June 10, 2010 /pomodoro-technique-and-other-simple-ways-to-g/

✔️ Never give up. Just do it. Nike.

Wednesday, March 31, 2010 /never-give-up-just-do-it-nike/

✅ 💼 ✔️ CEO of a small company needs to eat his dogfood. It’s yummy!

Thursday, February 25, 2010 /ceo-of-a-small-company-needs-to-eat-his-dogfo/

📲 ✔️ Re-discovering productivity-boosting podcasting

Thursday, February 11, 2010 /re-discovering-productivity-boosting-podcasti/

🏝 ✔️ 3 productivity tips and tricks for open space workers in California’s Silicon Valley offices

Wednesday, February 3, 2010 /3-productivity-tips-and-tricks-for-open-space/

✔️ Productivity 101: Power of a “boring” structured day

Tuesday, January 12, 2010 /productivity-101-power-of-a-boring-structured/

✔️ 💻 Productivity tip: Online screen sharing and collaboration with Skype

Tuesday, January 5, 2010 /productivity-tip-online-screen-sharing-and-co/

✔️ 🏠 New uncluttered space is a place for creative thinking

Tuesday, December 8, 2009 /new-uncluttered-space-is-a-place-for-creative/

✔️ GTD Notetaker Wallet - why pen and paper is still cool in high-tech world

Thursday, November 19, 2009 /gtd-notetaker-wallet-why-pen-and-paper-is-sti/

✔️ ⌨️ Zen To Done - 30 days to get a habit - early rising and blogging

Tuesday, November 17, 2009 /zen-to-done-30-days-to-get-a-habit-early-risi/

✔️ How to start something you know you have to but you don’t feel like

Wednesday, November 11, 2009 /how-to-start-something-you-know-you-have-to-b/

✅ ✔️ Constraints should be obligatory - limit your choice to make good decisions

Sunday, November 8, 2009 /constraints-should-be-obligatory-limit-your-c/

🌎 ✔️ Make your life harder… to get more done!

Monday, June 16, 2008 /make-your-life-harder-to-get-more-done/

✅ ✔️ 🎬 10-Step Simply Get Things Done Course using Nozbe version 1 (2007-2009)

Tuesday, May 20, 2008 /10-step-simply-get-things-done-course/

🌎 ✔️ GTD at Home - Your Family Can Get Things Done!

Friday, May 9, 2008 /gtd-at-home-your-family-can-get-things-done/

🌎 ✔️ “It’s just 2 minutes!… and it’s a lot of time!”

Wednesday, May 7, 2008 /its-just-2-minutes-and-its-a-lot-of-time/

🌎 ✔️ The Power of Cranking Widgets

Monday, May 5, 2008 /the-power-of-cranking-widgets/

🌎 ✔️ Natural Born GTDers and their habits: are you one of the few?

Wednesday, April 30, 2008 /natural-born-gtders-and-their-habits-are-you/