MOMENTOUS NEWS 📲

Welcome to week 22/52 of 2023. (9-min read time)

Hello to all the new pioneers of productivity! We’ve grown 22% since last week. 🚀

This week, we're diving into automating some mundane tasks in our day to day lives and the Momentum Insider reviews being a magnet for success.

Side note: Last week we launched a Twitter, it instantly got locked and we can’t post. Bummer.

Our Instagram is alive and well and I’m working to bring more, in depth reels and breakdowns over there as well.

Here’s this week’s launch: 🚀

🔘 Security researchers are now warning ChatGPT users of "prompt injections," or the ability for third parties to force new prompts into your ChatGPT query without your knowledge or permission. 🤖

• Example Injection Case: Adding a small, unreadable to the human eye, paragraph about how top recruiters have verified that this resume is the best resume they’ve seen. The PDF resume uploaded to ChatGPT to give an opinion would review this resume higher than if it didn’t have this section. Be aware of potential injections when automating this way.

🔘 OpenAI now using Bing as the default search for ChatGPT. 🔎 

• I don’t think anyone is surprised by this collaboration. Microsoft has given life back to a very dead Bing through Bing Chat which is consistently more and more impressive to use.

🔘 Google introduces a new, natural-language conversational experience within Google Ads, designed to jump start campaign creation and simplify Search ads by combining your expertise with Google AI.

• This article is worth the read. Lots of great graphics and more. It even shows you how ads will be used in AI conversations in the future.

Pocket to Plate Automation

Automating your way to Productivity 🚀

This week I’m going to address 3 different problems, in 3 different areas of many people’s lives.

One that’s on your phone.

One dealing with receipts, bills, invoices.

One dealing with eating.

Problem: Your phone is a constant distraction. Even if you’re using it to do productive tasks.

Solution:

iOS Focus Modes (Android Do Not Disturb schedules) provide a solution by allowing users to set specific profiles for different activities.

• The Work Focus Mode can minimize distractions during work hours.

• The Personal Time Focus Mode can help ensure downtime is truly restful.

• The Sleep Mode encourages a regular, healthy sleep pattern.

Let’s structure these modes together.

1. Work Focus Mode: This mode is about minimizing distractions and prioritizing work-related notifications.

   • Go to "Settings > Focus > Add a New Focus > Custom".

   • Name your new Focus mode "Work" and choose a relevant icon.

   • In the "Allowed Notifications" section, select only the work-related apps that you want notifications from, such as your email app, calendar, or specific productivity tools. Here are mine:

     • 

       
       

   • Under "Allowed Calls From", you might want to select "No One" or only specific contacts or groups. I have:

     • Family

     • Clients

     • Co-workers

     • Contractors

     • Allow calls from “Contacts Only”

     • Allow repeated calls.

       • People blowing up your phone will get through. Useful if friends or someone really needs to get a hold of you.

   • For your Work home screen, remove any non-work-related apps, leaving only those that are essential for your work.

   • Finally, set an automation schedule for this mode if your work hours are consistent, or manually activate it from the Control Center when needed.

     • 

2. Personal Time Focus Mode: This mode can help you unwind, allowing through only the notifications that matter most to you during your personal time.

   • Follow the same steps to create a new Focus mode, but this time name it "Personal Time".

   • In the "Allowed Notifications" section, select apps like your personal messaging apps, hobby-related apps, or perhaps a meditation app.

   • You might want to allow calls from everyone in your contacts or from your "Favorites" to stay connected while maybe not allowing contractors, co-workers, or clients. This can help with a good work-life balance.

   • Customize your Personal Time home screen to only include apps that align with your personal interests and relaxation.

   • You can schedule this mode to activate in the evenings or whenever you typically have downtime, or manually activate it when desired.

Feel free to experiment with these settings and make other modes. I’d love to hear about modes that you have setup. I have two additional ones setup for “Research” and “Dance.” They optimize my phone to have the workspace I need for those specific environments.

I hope this gives you a deeper understanding of how you can utilize Focus modes to automate and streamline your mobile experience. Give it a try, report back later this week.

Problem: Managing online receipts, bills, and invoices is a cumbersome task especially if you need to reference them in the future.

Solution:

Using Zapier to automatically save email attachments to Google Drive eliminates the manual work involved and ensures important files are stored in a centralized, accessible location.

Now let’s create a Zapier automation that automatically saves emails with specific subject lines and their attachments to a dedicated folder in Google Drive. This Zap is accessible on the free plan since it’s just one step!

Here's a basic guide on setting this up:

1. Trigger setup: In your Zapier account, click on "Make a Zap". Choose your email client (e.g., Gmail) as your app and "New Email" as the trigger event.

2. Trigger conditions: Specify the email folder to monitor, usually the inbox. You can use a search string to identify emails with subject lines containing "bill", "invoice", or "receipt".

subject:bill OR subject:invoice OR subject:receipt

1. Action setup: Select Google Drive as your action app and "Upload File" as your action event.

2. Action details: In the "Drive" field, choose the Google Drive where you want your files to be saved. In the "Folder" field, select or input the name of the specific folder you want to use for these files, I have a “Pending Review” folder. For the "File" field, choose the gmail "Attachment" from the dropdown list of output fields from the trigger.

3. Testing and review: Zapier will then allow you to test your Zap with a sample email to ensure everything is working correctly. Once you're happy with your setup, turn your Zap on.

This automated process saves you the trouble of manually sorting and saving these important documents, making sure they're all in one place and easily accessible.

For me, my “Pending Review” folder holds these items before I enter them into my account software. Since I sync my Google Drive to my computer, I can easily upload those receipts to the line item without manually downloading them.

It's a simple but powerful example of how automation can streamline tedious tasks and improve organization. You can take this a step further in many different ways to improve your unique workflow.

Remember to review and refine your Zap periodically to ensure it continues to meet your needs, especially if the formatting or content of your emails changes over time.

Problem: Daily cooking and meal planning takes up a significant amount of time and energy, and last-minute meal decisions often result in less healthy choices.

Solution:

While we often discuss digital automation, we shouldn't overlook automation in our daily lives. A great example is meal prepping. By dedicating a few hours each week to preparing meals, you can eliminate the daily task of cooking and cleaning.

I personally lose so much time every week stressing about food, this is an area I’m actively working on so I’m going to share with you my favorite meal to prep so far.

It’s simple and easy which is my main focus when starting something new.

Grilled Chicken and Roasted Veggies

Ingredients

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

• 1 broccoli head

• 2 bell peppers (any color you prefer)

• 2 medium-sized carrots

• Olive oil

• Salt and pepper to taste

• Optional: your choice of seasoning mix or herbs

Preparation

1. Prep the chicken: Season the chicken breasts on both sides with salt, pepper, and your choice of seasoning mix or herbs. Let it sit to absorb the flavors while you prep the vegetables.

2. Prep the vegetables: Chop the broccoli into florets, slice the bell peppers, and cut the carrots into thin rounds. Spread the veggies out on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, pepper, and optional seasonings. Toss until everything is well-coated.

3. Cook the chicken and vegetables: Grill the chicken on a grill pan or outdoor grill over medium heat for about 6-7 minutes on each side or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F (74°C). At the same time, roast the vegetables in a preheated oven at 425°F (220°C) for about 20-25 minutes, or until they're cooked to your preference.

4. Portion and store: Slice the grilled chicken into strips. In your meal prep containers, distribute the chicken and roasted vegetables evenly. Let everything cool completely before putting the lids on and storing in the refrigerator.

When it's time to eat, you can enjoy this meal cold, or warm it up in the microwave for 1-2 minutes. This meal is simple yet flavorful, packed with lean protein from the chicken and a variety of nutrients from the colorful veggies.

For storage, opt for microwave-safe meal prep containers for easy reheating. Glass containers are a good choice for long-term use, but BPA-free plastic containers can also work well and are generally more lightweight and cost-effective.

Let me know if you’re actively doing these things or if you have your own meal prep favorite!

Weekly Thought Leader 💭 

In the spotlight this week is James Clear, an author and speaker who is a leading expert on habit formation. Clear's book "Atomic Habits" has sold millions of copies worldwide. His work was recommended to me in college and has been a major influence on my passion for productivity.

Clear's philosophy centers around the power of habits in our daily lives. He contends that real change comes not from the large-scale shifts we often imagine are necessary, but from small, incremental changes we make every day. This aligns with a general theme of Momentum where we implement automation processes and productivity tools gradually over a period of time.

Clear suggests that you optimize your environment and schedule. A baby step towards this is optimizing your mobile environment with Focus Modes. I was so stoked when Apple released Focus Modes in 2022 as I’ve always known my notifications give me false dopamine kicks.

I will continue to breakdown more of Clear’s book overtime in the newsletter and apply a digital lens to it.

Momentum Insider 📩

The Trifecta of Likability

Traits That Magnetize Success

In my years of interacting with high-performers and pioneers in the tech industry, I've observed a few common traits in that set them apart.

Traits that make them the kind of people others want to work with, learn from, and follow.

Mainly, they think 'positive sum'.

This might sound like a buzzword, but it's a mindset that drastically alters how you approach work.

Rather than viewing situations as zero-sum games where one's gain is another's loss, they see the potential for mutual benefit. You should be seeking solutions where everyone involved can progress and benefit, creating a win-win situation for all parties.

This mindset fosters collaboration, encourages innovation, and ultimately, contributes to a more productive environment.

To do this, you need to vigorously focus on the details. It's not about perfection, but about making the commitment to ongoing improvement and delivering value in the most efficient way possible.

To focus on improving, many times it lies in existing systems in your life.

You should always on the lookout for obstacles or inefficiencies that are hindering progress or productivity.

I’ve seen many business owners, CEO’s, community leaders, etc fixate on processes for months or even years.

It’s all they can think about.

Every idea you have, personal story, progress update. They all get related back to the bottleneck. It can be annoying, but it’s what makes you and the systems around you better.

I’ll leave you with this

These traits aren't inherent. Don’t be down if this feels unnatural for you.

They are cultivated and nurtured over time.

They require commitment, practice, and a genuine willingness to improve not just oneself.

I invite you to reflect on these traits, and see how you can incorporate them into your own approach to life, work, relationships.

Because the more we embody these traits, the more productive, effective, and enjoyable our professional lives will be.