the True Progress Newsletter
Every Sunday, you'll get 3 insights, 1 challenge, and 1 system to help you regulate stress, upgrade resilience, and become unstoppable.
Previous Issues
105 Timeless lessons from ancient Stoic warriors
No. 105 – 16 Feb 2025
Welcome to the 105th edition of the True Progress Newsletter, a weekly newsletter on enhancing clear thinking and upgrading resilience.
If you’d like to share this newsletter issue via text, social media, just copy and paste the link from your web browser.
Insights
*
Fear loses its grip when you face it regularly. The Stoics knew that practicing discomfort builds true mental toughness, not just wishful thinking.
**
Avoiding pain doesn’t bring happiness—it prevents growth. Every challenge you endure becomes a stepping stone to your next level of strength.
***
"Do not pray for an easy life; pray for the strength to endure a difficult one."
— Bruce Lee
Challenge
The Controlled Discomfort Challenge
For the next 7 days, deliberately introduce small discomforts into your routine to train resilience:
Day 1-2: Take a cold shower or end your shower with 30 seconds of cold water.
Day 3-4: Skip one meal (if medically safe) or delay eating for an hour after feeling hungry.
Day 5-6: Do one thing that makes you uncomfortable (speak up in a meeting, ask for feedback, start a conversation with a stranger).
Day 7: Reflect: What did you learn about your mind’s response to discomfort? How can you expand your resilience further?
Exposure therapy shows that repeated exposure to discomfort rewires the brain to reduce fear responses. Ancient Stoics used voluntary hardship to build mental toughness.
Systems
Task splitting - break it down, get it done
Problem-solving is key to completing projects. At first, everything seems manageable, but soon, the sheer number of tasks becomes overwhelming. The real challenge isn’t the workload—it’s failing to break tasks down effectively.
When tasks become too large or turn into mini-projects, progress stalls. The solution? Break them into smaller, actionable steps to stay on track and maintain momentum.
Here’s how to start:
Identify the Big Tasks – List out everything that needs to be done for the project. Pay attention to any tasks that seem overwhelming or vague.
Break Them Down – If a task seems too large, divide it into smaller, specific steps that can be completed in one sitting. Each step should be clear and actionable.
Set Priorities – Determine which tasks need to be completed first to keep the project moving forward.
Time-Box Your Tasks – Assign realistic time frames to each smaller task to prevent procrastination and ensure steady progress.
Track and Adjust – Regularly review your progress. If a task still feels too large, break it down further until it feels manageable.
Being effective and time-efficient is a byproduct of feeling a sense of inner control.
Till next week,
— Carlos & Stef
104 Build this emotional habit into your life if you want to handle more stress
No. 104 – 26 Jan 2025
Welcome to the 104th edition of the True Progress Newsletter, a weekly newsletter on enhancing clear thinking and upgrading resilience.
If you’d like to share this newsletter issue via text, social media, or email, just click here, then copy and paste the link from your web browser.
Insights
*
Success doesn't require more degrees or a higher IQ—it demands the ability to handle stress in this order: exposure, regulation, perspective.
Expose yourself by swimming in the deep end.
Regulate your thoughts and emotions.
Build perspective by appreciating what you did and what's newly possible.
**
Your perception must be stress-tested.
Your fantasy about what or who you thought you were will go out the window the second you find yourself on your back.
***
“We are more often frightened than hurt; and we suffer more in imagination than in reality.”
— Seneca
Challenge
Thought observation habit
Train your mind to recognize and neutralize FOPO-driven thoughts.
Set a timer: Twice a day, for 5 minutes, sit quietly and observe your thoughts. Write down any fears or anxieties that arise, especially those tied to judgment or rejection.
Name the fear: Identify whether the thought stems from fear of failure, rejection, or humiliation.
Reframe: Write down a reason-based response to the thought, aligning with logic and self-awareness.
Act: The next time you face a situation tied to that fear, consciously practice acting in alignment with the reframe.
Systems
Daily philosophy reset
Fears and anxieties often stem from not knowing the difference between what's under your control and what's not. Our task is to live according only to what we can control. Everything else is external and not our task.
Acting in accordance with an appreciation for this difference focuses the mind on the present moment on present actions, and makes adversity more bearable by reducing it to brief instances in the grander scheme of life.
Set a recurring 2-minute reminder in your productivity app of choice to pause and reflect on this question:
“Am I focusing on what’s in my control?”
Book Recommendation
Philosophy as a Way of Life by Pierre Hadot
This book took a long time to read, not because of its length, but because it had so much logical truth to it that it needed careful reading. Philosophy is not some archaic discipline reserved for academics and intellectuals. If you know how to use it, it's a body of wisdom for improving your life, career, and inner peace. This book shows you how.
Till next week,
— Carlos & Stef
103 The simple Stoic practices to thrive in high-pressure situations
No. 103 – 5 Jan 2025
Welcome to the 103rd edition of the True Progress Newsletter, a weekly newsletter on enhancing clear thinking and upgrading resilience.
If you’d like to share this newsletter issue via text, social media, or email, just click here, then copy and paste the link from your web browser.
Insights
*
Anxiety thrives on surprises, but when you rehearse potential failures, you rob uncertainty of its power. Visualizing setbacks creates a sense of control and reduces the fear of the unexpected.
Fear is magnified by the unknown, but familiarity turns it into a manageable challenge. Practicing worst-case scenarios isn’t about negativity—it’s about preparation and empowerment.
**
Death is life’s greatest certainty, yet accepting it transforms how you face every moment. When you embrace mortality, all other challenges seem smaller, less daunting, and easier to overcome.
***
“If you want a man to keep his head when the crisis comes, give him training before it comes.”
— Seneca
Challenge
Face your fear.
Identify: Write down your top fear in a current personal or professional situation.
Schedule: Set aside one day this week to simulate your worst-case scenario. Live it out in a controlled environment (e.g., wear minimalistic clothing, eat simple food, or rehearse an uncomfortable conversation).
Visualize: Spend 10 minutes daily visualizing this scenario with vivid detail. Engage all your senses to make it feel real.
Reflect: Journal your thoughts after each session. Ask yourself, “Was this as bad as I imagined? What can I learn?”
Systems
Systemize reflection.
Add a 5-minute daily reflection to your productivity system.
Answer three prompts:
"What unexpected challenge did I face today?”
“How did I handle it?”
“What can I do differently next time?”
Regular reflection reduces emotional reactivity and builds resilience over time.
Book Recommendation
The Untethered Soul by Michael A. Singer
If you’ve ever felt held back by worrying what others think, The Untethered Soul by Michael Singer is a must-read. 3 powerful reminders:
You are not your thoughts. They have to be vigilantly examined.
Energy flows where attention goes. Redirection is key.
Life happens for you, not to you. Each challenge is a chance to learn from it, not be defined by it.
Till next week,
— Carlos & Stef
102 The systems top performers use to master high-stakes situations and achieve more
No. 102 – 29 Dec 2024
Welcome to the 102nd edition of the True Progress Newsletter, a weekly newsletter on cultivating inner control and resilience for high performance.
If you’d like to share this newsletter issue via text, social media, or email, just click here, then copy and paste the link from your web browser.
Insights
*
Most people struggle with focus not because they’re lazy, but because their minds are too cluttered. People don't need more vacations, they need more clarity.
Clarity isn’t about doing less; it’s about organizing better. When you know where your ideas and tasks live, you free up energy to execute with purpose.
**
Making connections across ideas isn’t just a skill; it’s a superpower. The Smart Notes method helps you build a web of insights, turning scattered thoughts into breakthroughs. And it keeps you resilient in the face of complexity.
***
"The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be kindled."
— Plutarch
Challenge
Renowned physicist Richard Feynmann used a list of 12 problems that he believed were important and interesting to work on. He believed that by focusing on a small number of important problems, one could make significant progress in their field.
Create Your “12 Favorite Problems” List. Write down 12 open-ended problems you’d love to solve in your work or life. Keep this list visible and update it weekly.
Let everything you consume be dictated by your 12 favorite problems.
Systems
The CODE System — Capture, Organize, Distill, Express — a proven way to free up headspace.
Capture Everything. Use a “capture inbox” in Notion, Apple Notes, or Evernote for ideas, tasks, and inspirations.
Organize Smartly. Sort into Projects, Areas, Resources, and Archives (PARA) to stay focused.
Distill Essentials. Highlight key insights for quick access.
Express for Action. Turn insights into actionable steps to build clarity and momentum.
Automate it:
Step 1: Schedule a daily 10-minute “Capture and Organize” session.
Step 2: Use a tool like Notion or a simple checklist app to track your CODE steps.
Step 3: Set weekly reminders to distill and review your notes for maximum clarity and focus.
Book Recommendation
Building a Second Brain by Tiago Forte
Learn the CODE system to organize your thoughts and reduce mental overwhelm. It's the ideal book for professionals looking to turn information into actionable insights and master complex projects.
Till next week,
— Carlos & Stef
101 The hidden mindset trap keeping you stuck (and how to build resilience to break free)
No. 101 – 22 Dec 2024
Welcome to the 101st edition of the True Progress Newsletter, a weekly newsletter on conquering fear, upgrading resilience, and becoming unstoppable.
If you’d like to share this newsletter issue via text, social media, or email, just click here, then copy and paste the link from your web browser.
Insights
*
It’s not just about starting strong and being gritty—it’s about weathering the storms, adapting to the unexpected, and staying the course when things falter.
**
If you want to be successful, fail often and use the data to reiterate. If you want to quit early, bank on your talent to save you. You need callouses through failure and reiteration, not talent.
Less failure = low resilience
Low resilience = quitting early
***
“Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.”
— Confucius
Challenge
Turn self-awareness into action.
Step 1: Identify a fear: Reflect on a recent situation where fear held you back—speaking up in a meeting, pursuing a client, or pitching an idea.
Step 2: Name your fixed mindset: Give this limiting belief a name to distance yourself from it.
Step 3: Rewrite the story: Imagine you had a growth mindset instead. Write a new narrative about how you could approach the situation with confidence and resilience.
Step 4: Take one action: Choose one small action that aligns with your growth mindset, and commit to doing it within 48 hours.
Use this roadmap to go from reactive to proactive.
Systems
Key performance indicators: measure and manage progress
To manage your goals, you need measurable milestones—key performance indicators (KPIs). Here’s a streamlined approach to track progress:
1. Set clear KPIs
Define measurable targets for each goal, like achieving specific sales numbers, scheduling X meetings, generating X leads, winning cases, or planning 3 date nights per month.
2. Review regularly
Schedule monthly KPI reviews. Even better, habit-stack it with your monthly review.
3. Rate progress
Use simple categories: no progress, minimal, some but insufficient, good, or amazing progress. Record exact results alongside ratings.
4. Reflect and adjust
Ask:
Are you meeting or exceeding your KPIs?
What challenges or obstacles exist?
Do priorities or external factors need reassessment?
5. Take action
Continue, increase effort, remove obstacles, or adjust goals as needed.
When you regularly check in and fine-tune your efforts, you’ll stay on track with your goals and keep making real progress. That's how you build inner control.
Till next week,
— Carlos & Stef
100 The 4 proven steps for handling emotions under pressure
No. 100 – 15 Dec 2024
Welcome to the 100th edition of the True Progress Newsletter, a weekly newsletter on conquering fear, cultivating inner control, and upgrading resilience.
If you’d like to share this newsletter issue via text, social media, or email, just click here, then copy and paste the link from your web browser.
Insights
*
Your emotions don’t define you—your response to them does. The space between event and reaction is where mastery lives.
**
Habits rule our emotional lives, but habits can be rewritten. It starts with noticing your automatic responses to situations and events.
***
“Between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space lies our freedom and power to choose.”
Challenge
The Emotional Mastery Minute
Goal: Train your brain to create space between triggers and reactions.
Identify a trigger: Think about a recent moment that made you feel stressed or reactive.
Pause: Close your eyes for 60 seconds. Take 4 slow breaths, inhaling for 4 seconds, holding for 4, and exhaling for 4.
Reframe: Ask yourself: What’s the story I’m telling myself about this event? What’s another way to see it that creates less negative emotion?
Act as your best self: Decide what action your most confident, composed self would take.
Stop letting your conditioned emotional responses run the show—start seizing more opportunities.
Systems
Keep Your Mental Toolbox Ready
Just like your home occasionally needs repairs, so does your mind. Both thrive on regular maintenance and the right tools to stay in good shape. Do you have reliable emotion regulation techniques you can turn to when life throws you a curveball?
Here’s a simple system:
Write down your top three go-to strategies for managing emotions and keep them somewhere visible—on your desk or in a place you’ll frequently notice.
Choose one technique to help you prepare for an upcoming challenge, another to use in the heat of the moment, and a third to help you recover and reset afterward.
Preparation before desperation makes navigating life’s obstacles far easier.
Book Recommendation
Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
This book completely changes the way you see your own mind. It dives into the two systems that drive how we think: System 1, the quick, automatic reactions, and System 2, the slower, more deliberate thought processes.
It helps you catch yourself in the act—recognizing when you’re relying on gut instincts that might steer you wrong or when you need to slow down and think things through. It’s full of moments that make you reflect on your habits and decisions.
Till next week,
— Carlos & Stef
99 Why this simple and overlooked habit makes you wealthy and productive
No. 99 – 8 Dec 2024
Welcome to the 99th edition of the True Progress Newsletter, a weekly newsletter on cultivating inner control and resilience for high performance.
If you’d like to share this newsletter issue via text, social media, or email, just click here, then copy and paste the link from your web browser.
Insights
*
You don't burn out because you're weak or something's wrong with you—you burn out because you overuse your finite energy sources. Every task, decision, and emotion uses your mental, emotional, and physical energy. Without rest, you're just confusing exhaustion for effort.
**
Your biggest creative breakthroughs happen when you're not actively working on them. Studies show that downtime allows your unconscious mind to solve complex problems better than conscious effort ever could.
And downtime, like taking walks in the park, lets your focus, a finite resource, recharge. No focus = no concentration = 0 results.
***
“Creativity is the residue of time wasted.”
— Albert Einstein
Challenge
When energy is low or focus starts slipping, try this science-backed recharge routine:
Breathe: Take 5 deep belly breaths, inhaling for 4 seconds, holding for 4, and exhaling for 4.
Move: Do 30 seconds of light stretching or movement to release tension.
Visualize: Close your eyes and visualize completing your next task successfully and calmly.
Self-Talk: Repeat a positive statement, like “I have the energy to handle what’s next.”
Ground: Spend 1 minute focusing on your surroundings—notice colors, textures, and sounds.
Why it works: Breathing regulates your nervous system, movement boosts circulation, visualization activates your performance state, self-talk rewires negative thinking, and grounding restores presence. Don’t underestimate its power.
Systems
Relationships & the Master To-Do List for Total Clarity
No, I’m not talking about your personal relationships. I’m talking about the connections between your files, folders, projects, and tasks.
It’s easy to feel completely overwhelmed when juggling multiple to-do lists—it’s chaotic, time-wasting, and, frankly, exhausting. Want to regain control and feel more organized? Here’s how:
Consolidate: Merge all your to-do lists into one master list. Having a single source of truth simplifies everything.
Organize with Relationships: Tag each task by its associated project or area. This acts as a quick cue, guiding you to the bigger picture when you need more detail.
Add Key Properties: Enhance your tasks with meaningful details like due dates, “do” dates (when you commit to working on it), and priority levels.
By creating a system that reflects how your projects and tasks interconnect, you’ll stop spinning your wheels and start working with clarity and purpose.
Take control.
Book Recommendation
The Power of Full Engagement by Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz
A classic book that everyone should read if they want to maximize being and enjoying the present moment, rather than letting it slip away. It's a masterclass in managing energy rather than time. It teaches you how to build daily routines that prioritize recovery and enable peak performance.
Till next week,
— Carlos & Stef
98 How to use this one simple shift to strengthen your resilience instantly
No. 98 – 1 Dec 2024
Welcome to the 98th edition of the True Progress Newsletter, a weekly newsletter on cultivating inner control and resilience for high performance.
If you’d like to share this newsletter issue via text, social media, or email, just click here, then copy and paste the link from your web browser.
Insights
*
Grit keeps you in drive to pursue your goals. Without it, you’re stuck in neutral, losing focus, giving up at the first sign of difficulty, and watching opportunities pass you by.
**
Resilience is the ability to adapt, recover, and bounce back stronger from setbacks. Without resilience, even the most determined efforts can lead to burnout, frustration, and an inability to sustain long-term success.
***
“Do not judge me by my success, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again.”
— Nelson Mandela
Challenge
Resilience and grit both rely on clarity around purpose. Reflect on your current long-term goals. Why are they important to you?
Resilience and grit both rely on reframing definitions of two essential words: challenge and failure. When was the last time you viewed a challenge as an opportunity? When was the last time you viewed a failure as feedback?
Systems
Connection CRM.
Recovery fuels resilience, and the better you recover, the stronger your bounce-back game becomes. One underrated yet powerful form of recovery? Connection and community. We’re wired for relationships, even if we sometimes forget it.
When was the last time you reached out to that friend or family member? Staying connected doesn’t have to be overwhelming—here’s a simple system to make it effortless:
Create a list of people who energize you—those whose company makes you feel alive and connected.
Add a column for "Last Contacted" and another for "Next Follow-Up".
You now have a personal Connection CRM to keep your relationships thriving. Keep it where you can see it. Even better, add it to your monthly review.
Till next week,
— Carlos & Stef
97 The secret to doing what you hate (and winning big)
No. 97 – 24 Nov 2024
Welcome to the 97th edition of the True Progress Newsletter, a weekly newsletter on cultivating inner control and resilience for high performance.
If you’d like to share this newsletter issue via text, social media, or email, just click here, then copy and paste the link from your web browser.
Insights
*
The things you resist the most are often the ones that lead to the greatest growth. Whether it’s networking, public speaking, or waking up early, pushing through discomfort separates the best from the rest.
**
Willpower is overrated; systems win every time. Habits built on purposeful routines—not fleeting motivation—are the foundation for long-term success.
***
"First we make our habits, then our habits make us.”
— John Dryden
Challenge
The habit system challenge.
Step 1: Choose one dreaded task that you know will help you grow (e.g., cold calling, early workouts, or writing). Write down why it’s important to you (your purpose).
Step 2: Design cues to make the task unavoidable. For example, set reminders, prepare materials in advance, or commit to a small step (e.g., five minutes of the task).
Step 3: Perform the action (response) every day for the next seven days. Reward yourself with something simple but meaningful after each success, like a quiet coffee break or time outdoors.
Why it works: Neuroscience shows that consistent cues and rewards create new neural pathways. By repeating the task, you’re embedding it into your subconscious, making it easier and less painful over time. Missing even one day resets your progress, so don’t let the streak break.
Systems
Stress-proof your to-do lists with 'do' dates.
Here’s the thing: not every task on your to-do list is “active,” yet most people lump everything into one chaotic list.
The result? Overwhelm, procrastination, and that sinking feeling of “I’ll never catch up.”
Here’s how to fix it:
1/ Categorize your tasks by status.
Think of it as organizing your closet—active tasks go in one list, future tasks in another. A Kanban board is great for this.
2/ Assign ‘do’ dates to active tasks.
A ‘do’ date is the specific day you’re committing to work on that task. No ‘do’ date = no action.
3/ Time-slot those tasks in your calendar.
If it’s not scheduled, it’s not happening. A ‘do’ date solves the “endless list” problem by making you decide when you’ll tackle each task.
It’s simple. It works. And it beats the feeling of drowning in a million unchecked boxes. Give it a try.
Till next week,
— Carlos & Stef
96 People who thrive have this in common—multiple identities (here’s how to build yours)
No. 96 – 17 Nov 2024
Welcome to the 96th edition of the True Progress Newsletter, a weekly newsletter on cultivating inner control and resilience for high performance.
If you’d like to share this newsletter issue via text, social media, or email, just click here, then copy and paste the link from your web browser.
I'm excited to share that we've updated our website. Check it out here: trueprogresslab.com.
INSIGHTS
*
When work defines you, losing it feels like losing yourself. Suddenly, you’re hunting for purpose in the relationships, hobbies, and chores that were hiding in plain sight all along.
**
How do you reconcile people who have everything but complain that something's missing with people who have nothing but satsified with the simplicities of life? The formula: connection + service to others.
Don't be late to the real wonders of life or you'll find yourself disconnected, alone, and wondering what happened to the rest of your life.
***
“Don’t confuse having a career with having a life.” Hillary Clinton
CHALLENGE
Objective: To expand your sense of purpose beyond professional titles by connecting with core values in other areas of life.
Step 1: Identify core values beyond work
List your top 3-5 values that don’t relate to work (e.g., growth, connection, service). Why are they important to you?
Step 2: Purposeful activity inventory
Write down 2-3 activities outside work that let you practice these values.
Volunteering your time at work or outside of it (service)
Spending quality time with family and expanding social network (connection)
Starting a new hobby (growth)
Step 3: Weekly action and reflection
Each week, engage in one of these activities. Treat these activities with the respect they deserve by giving them a time slot on your schedule. If it's not scheduled, it's not important enough.
SYSTEMS
Global Prioritization List.
Ever feel like your days are just Whac-A-Mole—putting out fires and crushing to-dos?
The best leaders don’t stay in the trenches. They zoom out, grab the big picture, and turn fires into candles.
Want to stop playing firefighter and start being a visionary? Think fewer checkboxes, bigger moves. Here's how to do it:
Create four columns: Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4.
Assign your projects and deep work tasks to the appropriate quarter.
Add your Global Prioritization List review to your monthly or quarterly routine.
Keep the list flexible—shift projects and tasks as needed. It should give a quick snapshot of what’s done, in progress, and coming up.
BOOK REC
Mastering Stand-Up by Stephen Rosenfield
Want to be more persuasive and influential? Humor is your secret weapon. This book reveals how a well-timed joke can forge instant connections and win people over with laughter.
Stephen Rosenfield, founder of the American Comedy Institute, offers a masterclass in crafting relatable, original humor. With actionable steps, he’ll teach you how to turn wit into your ultimate power move.
Till next week,
— Carlos & Stef
95 When approval becomes a leash
No. 95 – 3 Nov 2024
Welcome to the 95th edition of the True Progress Newsletter, a weekly newsletter on cultivating inner control and resilience for high performance.
If you’d like to share this newsletter issue via text, social media, or email, just click here, then copy and paste the link from your web browser.
Hi friends,
Back in 2010, I was teaching English in Shanghai and found myself stuck with this weekly “social club” class every Friday. The setup? I had one hour to entertain a mixed group of students—some my age, some older—as if it were open mic night. The only rule? It had to be fun.
At first, I was petrified. It felt like being tossed on stage and having to do standup comedy without a script, and every class felt like a fresh chance to bomb. But after a few Fridays, I went from nervous wreck to feeling almost invincible, like a rockstar commanding the room. My confidence was sky-high…until something changed.
I focused on wanting people to like me instead of making it fun. The need for approval and being liked consumed me. Until I realized that it wasn't about people liking me, it was about making class entertaining, two different things.
The former made me self-conscious and overthink. The latter gave me control over myself and how I felt about myself, regardless of what happened.
INSIGHTS
*
When your relationships are all about chasing gold stars and avoiding detention slips, you’re outsourcing your self-worth to the praise (or criticism) of others. It’s like having a self-esteem yo-yo: one minute, you’re on cloud nine because someone clapped for you, and the next, you’re down in the dumps because they didn’t.
This constant dance for approval turns into a “treat-or-punishment” system that makes you feel like a trained seal, rather than a confident, independent human.
**
Living for praise from others is like putting your confidence on a leash—it’s hard to go anywhere without someone else’s “Good job!” pulling you along.
The more you chase their approval, the more you lose your own, leaving you stuck, doubting yourself, and feeling like you’re running on a treadmill to nowhere.
***
“True confidence comes not from the praise of others but from the courage to be oneself.”
— Carl Jung
CHALLENGE
For one week, replace any praise you usually give with specific encouragement that acknowledges effort or process, not outcome. Each day:
Choose one interaction where you’d typically give praise. Instead, offer a form of encouragement that focuses on the other person’s effort, determination, or progress.
Note how the other person responds. Did they seem more reflective or motivated? Do they begin taking more initiative?
Reflect on how this changes your relationship with them and your understanding of their strengths.
⌾ Reply to this email and let us know how it went.
SYSTEMS
Small Wins.
Science shows celebrating small wins cranks up your motivation and happiness, making you way more likely to actually crush it daily.
So, are you high-fiving yourself for the little victories or just mindlessly checking off to-dos?
Here’s how to start:
Set up a habit tracker in your line of sight—right where you’ll see it first thing every morning.
Add “celebrate a small win” as a daily habit, and at the end of the day, jot down something that went right, whether it’s waking up on time, tackling a tough task, getting moving, or just feeling good.
Don’t sleep on the power of tiny triumphs—they add up.
BOOK REC
Never Finished by David Goggins
Do you need a boost of motivation? Do you feel like your situation is bad? Are you in search of something more? Do you feel like you're just going through the motions and need a new perspective? This book will answer these questions and more.
Till next week,
— Carlos & Stef
94 The power of giving over getting
No. 94 – 27 Oct 2024
Welcome to the 94th edition of the True Progress Newsletter, a weekly newsletter on cultivating inner control and 3Xing your productivity.
If you’d like to share this newsletter issue via text, social media, or email, just click here, then copy and paste the link from your web browser.
INSIGHTS
*
Actively contributing to helping others makes you feel of use. Feeling of use creates purpose. Purpose creates direction. Direction creates clarity. Clarity creates focus. If you want more focus, contribute more.
**
Your mind forgets about seeking validation when you focus on giving rather than receiving. Pleasing others, saying yes, and living based on others' values no longer become barriers to moving forward.
***
“We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.”
— Winston Churchill
CHALLENGE
When was the last time you gave something of value to someone without expecting anything in return?
For the next week, look for one specific way to help someone in your network—sharing knowledge, offering feedback, connecting people, or simply listening.
⌾ Reply to this email and let us know how it went.
SYSTEMS
Anti-Procrastination Automation
Procrastination lurks around every corner of work life, but a solid workflow system has built-in safeguards to keep it in check.
Three common scenarios with safeguards to infuse into your systems:
Scenario #1: You're putting something off because you're afraid you'll screw it up; you let anxiety and doubt stop you from action.
Safeguard: Take a prevention focus; think about your old story; what will happen if you don't take action? Focus on avoiding loss; when you do that, it becomes clear that the only way to avoid the consequences is to take action.
Scenario #2: You're putting something off because you don’t feel like doing it.
Safeguard: Remind yourself that you don't need to feel like doing it, you just need to do it; even better, regulate the feeling to make yourself do it.
Scenario #3: You're putting something off because it's hard, boring, or unpleasant. More feelings.
Safeguard: Use "if-then" planning: decide in advance exactly what you’re going to do and when and where you're going to do it to minimize friction when it’s time to act. This approach reduces the demand on your finite willpower.
WIN
Noelle is a civil rights attorney who works in the federal government. She was constantly overwhelmed by her heavy caseload, engaged in overthinking and pessimistic thinking, and often worked evenings. She wanted more inner control and more free time but the worrying took a lot of her mental real estate.
You can see her transformation here.
Here's how we did it:
Dedirected her focus by redrafting her Ethos.
Established a sustainble routine for increasing energy and focus.
Made her highly adaptable to uncertainty, pressure, and adversity.
Created a customized workflow system to streamline and optimize projects and tasks.
Are you a leader or entrepreneur who wants to free up mental space, increase your free time, and build inner control? Click this link to apply for our program.
Till next week,
— Carlos & Stef
93 Are you living your purpose, or just going through the motions?
No. 93 – 6 Oct 2024
Welcome to the 93rd edition of the True Progress Newsletter, a weekly newsletter on cultivating inner control and resilience for high performance.
If you’d like to share this newsletter issue via text, social media, or email, just click here, then copy and paste the link from your web browser.
INSIGHTS
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The most successful leaders and entrepreneurs live by an ethos. It contains their core values, mission statement, legacy, and vision of where they're going. It keeps the road clear as day.
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Focus is just a byproduct of knowing what to do, day in and day out. Temptation and distractions will get you off track.
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A personal ethos ensures that your busyness is directed toward meaningful, productive work:
“It is not enough to be busy; so are the ants. The question is: What are we busy about?”
— Henry David Thoreau
CHALLENGE
When was the last time you stopped to consider if your daily actions align with your values, mission, and the legacy you want to leave behind? In the midst of the daily grind, it's easy to lose sight of the bigger picture. That’s why reflection is essential—it gives you the clarity to reconnect with your purpose.
Write a one-sentence statement that defines your purpose and long-term vision.
Identify three core values that define your actions.
Reflecting on your mission, vision, and values, do you feel that your actions over the past month have been in alignment with them? If not, what specific steps can you take to better align your actions with the person you aspire to become?
⌾ Reply to this email and let us know how it went.
SYSTEMS
PARA
The PARA Method, developed by Tiago Forte, is an invaluable way to organize your personal and professional work life.
French novelist Gustave Flaubert once said, “Be regular and orderly in your life so that you may be violent and original in your work.” To accomplish this, you must organize for action, according to the active projects you're working on right now.
PARA stands for projects, areas, resources, and archives.
Projects is any endeavor with a specific goal and end date.
Areas don't have either but a standard to be maintained. Think health, finances, family, etc. They're the roles you play in work and life.
Resources are things you want to reference in the future, things you might be interested in. It's a catchall for anything that doesn't quite belong to a project or area but you're still interested in getting information about it.
Archives are things you've completed or put on hold, any project completed or canceled, areas you're no longer committed to maintaining, or resources that are no longer relevant.
Here's the cheat sheet to organize your life using PARA:
Will this thing I captured help me move a current project or goal forward?
If yes, move it to a respective project.
If not, will this help me uphold an area of responsibility?
If yes, move it to a respective area.
If not, will it support one of my interests or curiosities?
If yes, move it to Resources.
If not, place in Archives or delete it.
WIN
Diana is an attorney, solo practitioner, and of counsel to a mid-sized DC law firm. She struggled with procrastination, and productivity and had no time for things she neglected for years.
In 12 weeks, we freed up her time to make room for family and health, decreased her procrastination, and increased her ability to handle high-stress days.
Here's how we did it:
We built focus by embedding her ethos throughout her week.
We increased her energy levels through proper exercise, hydration, and recovery.
We regulated her nervous system and emotional control.
We implemented systems around goals and priorities so that more could be accomplished with less effort.
Are you a leader, entrepreneur, or attorney who wants to finally reclaim time, increase your productivity, and learn to shine under stress? Click this link to apply for our coaching program.
Till next week,
— Carlos & Stef
92 Toxic truth about comparison and why it steals your joy
No. 92 – 29 Sep 2024
Welcome to the 92nd edition of the True Progress Newsletter, a weekly newsletter on cultivating inner control and resilience for high performance.
If you’d like to share this newsletter issue via text, social media, or email, just click here, then copy and paste the link from your web browser.
INSIGHTS
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You’ll keep comparing yourself to others as long as you base your self-worth on other people's achievements.
Success isn’t a limited resource—there’s more than enough to go around. Trust that your time will come.
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If you're going to compare yourself to someone, compare yourself to their level of effort, work ethic, and growth mindset, not their achievements.
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“The reason we struggle with insecurity is because we compare our behind-the-scenes with everyone else’s highlight reel.”
— Steven Furtick
CHALLENGE
How much time do you spend on social media? Have you ever tracked the hours you spend on your phone?
Subconsciously, every time you scroll through other people's lives, you trigger a cycle of self-comparison.
Take one week to track your time spent on social media platforms.
At the end of the week, ask yourself how many times you compared yourself to others.
⌾ Reply to this email and let us know how it went.
SYSTEMS
Win Log - list and celebrate your wins to stay motivated.
Why? Wins make you feel positive emotions, which make it more likely to continue and stay on track.
Wins are the positive things of your day and week.
Use this tactic daily, weekly, or monthly.
Choose your timeframe - decide if you want to reflect on your wins from the past week, month, etc.
Grab a pen and paper or phone.
Think back on your chosen timeframe and list all the wins you can remember. These can be outcomes you achieved, habits you maintained, praise you received, or challenges you overcame.
Take a moment to review your list and appreciate your achievements.
Infuse this tactic into your systems - meaning, do this on a regular basis- and watch as your motivation soars.
Till next week,
— Carlos & Stef
91 Sick of failing? The brutal truth about what’s holding you back
No. 91 – 15 Sep 2024
Welcome to the 91st edition of the True Progress Newsletter, a weekly newsletter on cultivating inner control and resilience for high performance.
If you’d like to share this newsletter issue via text, social media, or email, just click here, then copy and paste the link from your web browser.
Hi friends, happy to announce that after four years I got my brown belt in judo. Six things I've learned, in no particular order:
Physical challenges build your overall confidence
Humility makes you a better learner
You can't grow if you're not willing to be vulnerable and look foolish
Adrenaline and fear are good things
Emotions are what ultimately derails us from getting to our goals
Showing up is better than doing nothing at all
INSIGHTS
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It's not failure that haunts you, it's the meaning you give to it.
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When you view failure as final, you’re less likely to take risks. Every setback feels like proof of your limitations, feeding the belief that your abilities are fixed. This mindset stifles resilience and encourages a victim mentality, where each stumble becomes another excuse to give up.
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“The greatest mistake you can make in life is to continually fear you will make one.”
— Elbert Hubbard
CHALLENGE
What's one experience that keeps defining your future, your thoughts, your actions?
Try to see it from a different light using the following Stoic exercise:
Describe and define with pure and simple terms the event, without the addition of any subjective value-judgment. Look at it in its essence and nudity. Divide the parts of the experience to get to the point where you have contempt for them. Be as objective as possible.
"He was sent to jail. What happened? He was sent to jail. But "He is unhappy" is added by oneself." Epictetus.
⌾ Reply to this email and let us know how it went.
SYSTEMS
Goal outcomes.
Projects are great but without a specific goal outcome in mind, it's just a wish. Here's how to supercharge your goals:
Make a list of your key performance indicators or milestones for each goal.
Every couple of weeks or every month, rate your progress on each of those milestones.
After rating each milestone, reflect:
Are you consistently meeting or exceeding your KPIs?
If not, are there any obstacles or challenges that hindered your progress?
Are you investing enough time and effort to achieve your goal?
Do external factors or changes in your priorities warrant reconsidering your goal?
Based on your reflections, take action:
Continue what you're doing.
Invest extra time or effort.
Remove obstacles or ask for support.
Redefine your goal and adjust plans accordingly.
If you're on course, record it as an accomplishment and keep going.
Till next week,
— Carlos & Stef
90 If you want people to listen, apply this
No. 90 – 8 Sep 2024
Welcome to the 90th edition of the True Progress Newsletter, a weekly newsletter on cultivating inner control and resilience for high performance.
If you’d like to share this newsletter issue via text, social media, or email, just click here, then copy and paste the link from your web browser.
INSIGHTS
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People make the mistake of spewing knowledge and facts in a desperate attempt to persuade an audience. But people don't need more facts and data, they crave stories to make them feel connected and inspired. It’s through storytelling that you can bridge the gap and invite others to meet you halfway.
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If you can't tell a story, you can't influence. If you can't influence, you can't get buy-in for your ideas and make change. It's that simple.
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“Stories constitute the single most powerful weapon in a leader’s arsenal.”
— Dr. Howard Gardner
CHALLENGE
When was the last time you told a story to someone? Did it fall flat or were people genuinely intrigued? Too often, we tell stories just for the sake of it, without a clear purpose.
Next time, before you share a story, ask yourself: What’s the goal? Are you trying to sell, convince, connect, impress—or a combination thereof?
SYSTEMS
One in, one out.
Swap tasks to stop your workload from getting out of control.
This tactic helps you stay focused and maintain momentum without becoming overwhelmed. It works well when you have more incoming tasks than you can handle.
Here's how it works:
Check into your workload.
What new tasks or projects need your attention? For each new addition, decide which existing task or project you can delete or delay to make space for it. Which tasks are less urgent or less impactful than the new ones? Consider the trade-offs you're making. Ask: are you sacrificing long-term success for short-term gains?
Create or update your kanban board or to-do list to reflect the changes.
Till next week,
— Carlos & Stef
89 How your emotional habits are eating you alive
No. 89 – 18 Aug 2024
Welcome to the 89th edition of the True Progress Newsletter, a weekly newsletter on mastering fear and anxiety for optimal performance.
If you’d like to share this newsletter issue via text, social media, or email, just click here, then copy and paste the link from your web browser.
INSIGHTS
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Just like you train yourself to develop good habits like waking up early or eating healthy, you’re also unknowingly training your mind to fall into emotional traps. You create habits of tunnel vision, over-generalizing, and exaggerating, which distort reality and lead to constant misinterpretations and emotional overreactions.
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You will end up misjudging situations or misunderstanding your colleagues' intentions. This could make you more risk-averse, as your fear of failure and worry about what others think grows. You may also start overthinking and jumping to conclusions a lot, leading you to avoid social or work opportunities because you’re afraid of being judged or rejected.
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“Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate.”
— Carl Jung
CHALLENGE
When was the last time you experienced a setback where you felt anger, sadness, depression, defeat?
Look at the setback and by process of elimination, ask:
Are you seeing the setback only from just one angle (aka tunnel vision)?
Are you falling victim to confirmation bias (ignoring facts that don’t fit your beliefs)?
Are you over-generalizing, mind-reading, or jumping to conclusions?
⌾ Reply to this email and let us know how it went.
SYSTEMS
Jerry Seinfeld credits much of his success to his daily visual habit system. Habits become your values and your values become your identity.
Here's how it works:
Make a list of your key daily habits that move you closer to an important achievement or help you become the person you want to be.
Consider picking a specific time to complete your habit each day and scheduling it.
Get a calendar, notebook, or habit-tracking app and mark each day you complete the habit.
Keep the chain of days unbroken. When scheduling new tasks or accepting new invitations, always consider whether this will cause you to break your chain.
Till next week,
— Carlos & Stef
88 The art of being rightfully annoying
No. 88 – 11 Aug 2024
Welcome to the 88th edition of the True Progress Newsletter, a weekly newsletter on mastering fear and anxiety for optimal performance.
If you’d like to share this newsletter issue via text, social media, or email, just click here, then copy and paste the link from your web browser.
INSIGHTS
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When you fear judgment, you shrink, people-please, and cling to comfort—trapped by false beliefs about yourself. You tell yourself it’s safer to agree or stay silent than face criticism. But this only deepens your insecurities and impacts your growth.
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When you don’t question or clarify, you risk making poor decisions based on incomplete information, leading to avoidable mistakes.
Staying silent costs you chances to shine and can hold you back from career growth. Every time you hold back, you feed the fear of judgment, making it even harder to speak up next time.
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“If you don’t ask, the answer is always no.”
— Nora Roberts
CHALLENGE
Socrates practiced a technique called deliberate ignorance. He pretended not to know something when he in fact did. It was a practice of taming the ego and having the courage to be vulnerable. At heart, it was a practice of desensitization to judgment.
Next time you find yourself speaking with someone (at work or outside work), pretend to be ignorant of the topic of conversation by asking more and speaking less. See how far you can get.
⌾ Reply to this email and let us know how it went.
SYSTEMS
Do you have a start-up checklist whenever you start a project? It can save you an incredible amount of time by using what you already have and applying accelerated learning principles into the mix:
Capture expected obstacles - turn these into action items
Deconstruct: what LEGO blocks should you be starting with?
Select: which 20% of blocks for 80% or more of the outcome?
Sequence: in what order should you tackle the blocks?
Capture current thinking on the project. Ask:
What do I already know about this project?
What don’t I know that I need to find out?
What is my goal or intention?
Who can I talk to who might provide insights?
What can I read or listen to for relevant ideas?
BOOK REC
On the Shortness of Life by Seneca
Expectancy is the greatest obstacle to living.
Seneca emphasizes the importance of using time wisely, focusing on meaningful activities, and cultivating inner wisdom to lead a fulfilling life. He advises that by living purposefully and mindfully, one can experience a long and rich life, regardless of its actual length.
Disconnecting the mind is a prerequisite for depth and creativity. Don't wait, live now because we don't know what fortune has in store for us tomorrow.
Till next week,
— Carlos & Stef
87 How to transform your social anxiety into opportunity
No. 87 – 4 Aug 2024
Welcome to the 87th edition of the True Progress Newsletter, a weekly newsletter on mastering fear and anxiety for optimal performance.
If you’d like to share this newsletter issue via text, social media, or email, just click here, then copy and paste the link from your web browser.
Hi friends, I competed in the US Judo Open last week and took bronze. Stepping onto the mat, I felt a surge of adrenaline and a bit of fear as I was competing in the -100kg weight class, one weight class higher than usual.
Facing stronger opponents was intimidating, but judo, like other combat sports, teaches you that fear and anxiety are not your enemies—they’re key to growth.
Two things I did to mentally prepare: remind myself that feeling anxiety is normal and I used some evidence-based positive affirmations that kept me calm and in the zone.
I don't know of any time when I didn't feel invigorated and alive after completing a scary challenge.
INSIGHTS
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Social anxiety doesn't discriminate. It affects beginners, mid-level professionals, and even highly experienced experts. It can impact your relationships, earning potential, job performance, self-perception, and willingness to take risks.
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Whether it's giving a presentation, facing a tough conversation, or feeling the pressure to excel, it can be easy to worry about being judged, making mistakes, or not meeting expectations. With each anxious new thought, your thinking gets cluttered, your creativity stagnates, and your ability to think on your feet and improvise freezes.
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"Success is where preparation and opportunity meet."
— Bobby Unser
CHALLENGE
Think about an upcoming high-stakes event where you may feel socially anxious like all eyes are on you.
Think about the worst-case scenario. Maybe it's losing your train of thought and drawing a blank, not being able to answer a question, or not feeling confident enough to speak up.
Visualize the worst that could happen. Map it out for how you'd deal with it.
⌾ Reply to this email and let us know how it went.
SYSTEMS
Seeing your to-do list broken down into status on a board is not only visually appealing, it streamlines your workflow and helps you stay focused. Enter kanban boards.
Focus is a byproduct of increasing your sense of inner control.
And, having inner control makes clear thinking and more action possible.
Grab a whiteboard or use your digital note-taking app and divide it into the following columns: Active, Next Up, Waiting On, Paused, Future.
Fill Active with tasks that you're currently working on. Prioritize them by importance or deadline. Use the Eisenhower Matrix to help with this. Consider using different colors for different categories or priorities.
Fill Next Up with tasks that are next in line.
Move any tasks with open loops to Waiting On. These are tasks where you're waiting for someone else or something else to happen for you to activate the task again into Active or complete it outright.
Move any Active or Next Up tasks to Paused if you decide to pause them for now.
Fill Future with any tasks that you plan to complete.
That's it. Create a kanban board for each project you're working on and review and update it regularly.
Till next week,
— Carlos & Stef
86 How to stop caring about what people think
No. 86 – 28 Jul 2024
Welcome to the 86th edition of the True Progress Newsletter, a weekly newsletter on mastering fear and anxiety for optimal performance.
If you’d like to share this newsletter issue via text, social media, or email, just click here, then copy and paste the link from your web browser.
INSIGHTS
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If you're challenging yourself in your work, fear of other people's opinions (FOPO) may creep up on you. The main obstacle in overcoming this fear is not recognizing what is within your control and what is not.
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The more you let FOPO control you, the more emotionally unstable you become, constantly adjusting your actions to seek approval, and that's no way to live. You start looking to please others and be liked rather than follow your values.
This leads to inauthenticity and a fear of exposure, causing you to avoid challenges for career growth.
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"The result is that, if he wins applause, he returns home full of himself; but if he is booed, he shrivels as if the air has been let out of him and sinks down, deflated. Our case is much the same. What do we value? Externals. What do we look after? Externals. So of course, we are going to experience fear and nervousness. Faced with external circumstances that we judge to be bad, we cannot help but be frightened and apprehensive."
— Epictetus
CHALLENGE
Think about three recent events or situations you can't change and haven't fully accepted yet. These might include people's attitudes, actions, missing out on an opportunity, the past, and so on.
Things within your control include your thoughts, attitudes, words, and actions.
What external obstacles or internal roadblocks are preventing you from accepting them?
⌾ Reply to this email and let us know how it went
SYSTEMS
How to declutter your mind and make sense of your insights:
Capturing ideas and organizing them visually with a branching, tree-like structure is a timeless and infinitely flexible tool for brainstorming and understanding.
Pick a problem or idea
Draw branches radiating from the problem or idea
Add sub-branches
Continue branching outward for each idea
BOOK REC
Mastery by Robert Greene
Becoming great at your craft requires two key elements:
Finding a mentor if you want to have the most efficient and productive form of learning since mentors know where to focus your attention and how to challenge you.
Navigating smoothly through the social environment. This includes knowing how to talk to others, reading others, and not letting your emotions get the best of you.
Till next week,
— Carlos & Stef