I can’t imagine something more overwhelming than sitting down on Monday and having no idea what to work on, despite knowing you have a bunch of work to do. But that’s how many solopreneurs start their week.

Even worse, when you don’t know what to do, it’s easier for other people to hijack your time, you waste time by deciding in the moment, and it’s hard to measure success.

I’ve spent years refining a system that takes just 20 to 25 minutes every Sunday, but saves me hours of "buffer time" and decision fatigue during the week. By the time I walk into my office on Monday morning, I already know exactly which three tasks I need to accomplish.

Today I’m going to share that system with you.

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Show Notes

• The Sidekick Notepad
• The Plus/Minus/Next Approach

Send feedback to https://streamlinedfeedback.com

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Streamlined Solopreneur is the podcast for solopreneurs who want to automate their business and take time off worry-free. Each week, Joe Casabona shares practical systems, tools, and strategies to help you reclaim your time and run your business without sacrificing your the rest of your life, or your health.

Start with the free Solopreneur Sweep — a step-by-step method for finding where your business is losing time: https://streamlined.fm/sweep

If this episode helped you, leaving a review on Apple Podcasts helps other solopreneurs find the show — it only takes a minute and means a lot.

Connect with Joe on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jcasabona/

My absolute favorite task manager is Todoist. I’ve been around the block and used all the major ones — from Remember the Milk to OmniFocus and everything in between. Todoist is the best for me.

But a task manager only tells part of the story — it tells us what we got done.

It doesn’t tell us anything about how we were feeling that day. How many tasks did we move or ignore? How many have we checked off just so we’d stop seeing them?

And it shouldn’t. That’s what task journaling is for.

Here's how to get started:

1. Pick three and only three tasks for the day

• Check in with yourself at midday
• Assess at the end of the day — what worked, what didn't, and why

Do this for two weeks, and you'll have a clearer picture of how you actually work — and what it takes to protect the time that matters most.

Want some help?

Try the Daily Three Task Journal app (currently in beta on TestFlight) or grab the free Notion template at streamlined.fm/app. And if you already use some form of task journaling, I'd love to hear about it — head over to streamlinedfeedback.com and let me know.

Show Notes

• Todoist
• At Your Best by Carey Nieuwhof

• (00:00) - What Is Task Journaling?
• (04:26) - The Daily 3 Task Journal System
• (06:59) - Understanding Your Green Zone and Red Zone
• (11:04) - How I Built an iOS App for This Method
• (13:17) - Where to Find the App and Notion Template

Simplify your tech stack at https://streamlined.fm/tools

I loved watching the Olympics this year — more than usual. Part of it was the great stories and incredible performances. But a big part of it was that it was a celebration of human accomplishment.

I believe firmly that AI can’t replace the actual good, worthwhile work we do…and the Olympics is a shining example of that. So for this episode, I wanted to share 3 lessons I think every solopreneur should learn from the Olympics.

• You need your own “taper day”: Why working harder actually makes you worse at running your business.
• Lasting gratification is better than instant gratification: Using technology and AI to polish your work, not replace your unique human contribution.
• Friction Management: How to "sweep" your business like a curler—removing obstacles to your goals while adding healthy barriers to distractions.

Want to reduce the friction in your business? Take the free tools audit: https://streamlined.fm/tools

Show Notes

• Why “Working Harder” Is Making You a Worse Solopreneur
• Beyond Box-Ticking: How to Build an Olympic-Caliber Business
• Why Curling, and Your Business, Relies on Friction Management

Have thoughts? Send feedback to https://streamlinedfeedback.com

• (00:00) - — Lessons for solopreneurs from the Olympics
• (01:35) - — Lesson 1: Why elite performers prioritize recovery over 100% effort
• (02:56) - — Debunking the "hustle culture" myth of being always available
• (05:57) - — Lesson 2: Going beyond box-ticking and the limits of AI shortcuts
• (08:19) - — Using technology to automate the boring stuff, not the high-leverage work
• (09:48) - — Lesson 3: Friction Management (Lessons from Curling)
• (11:54) - — How to strategically apply and remove friction in your daily workflow
• (13:49) - — Small adjustments that lead to a smoothly running business
• (15:59) - — Closing thoughts and where to send your feedback

Simplify your tech stack at https://streamlined.fm/tools