Elevate Letter #36: 3 Tools That Are Making Me More Productive

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This Book Changed My Life

Most people think getting rich means working harder. More hours. More effort. More grind.

This book taught me the opposite.

 The Almanack of Naval Ravikant (and it’s not even close).

It rewired how I think about wealth, time, and leverage. Here’s what stuck with me:

• Specific Knowledge – Build rare skills that feel like play to you but look like work to others.

• Accountability – Take risks under your own name. Society rewards those who own their results.

• Equity – You won’t get rich renting out your time. Ownership is the path to freedom.

• Leverage – Use media, software, and capital to scale impact without scaling effort.

• Time – Be patient. Wealth compounds over years, not months.

If I had read this book 5 years earlier, I would have made different decisions.

What’s the one book that changed the way you think?

3 Tools That Are Making Me More Productive

Most productivity tools focus on doing more. But real productivity? It’s about using time with intention.

These three tools help me work smarter—not just harder:

1. Onigiri – Minimal Timer ⏳

I firmly believe timers are the most underrated productivity hack. Onigiri stays on-screen as a subtle visual cue—keeping me focused without being distracting. Almost every task I start? I set a timer.

2. Cold Turkey – Website Blocker 🚫

Cold Turkey blocks distractions, but the real game-changer? Frozen Turkey. At 8:00 PM, my computer shuts down—whether I like it or not. Work-life boundaries: non-negotiable.

3. RescueTime – Time Tracker 📊

No more guessing where my time goes. RescueTime tracks everything in the background—no manual input needed. Seeing the raw data? A brutal (but necessary) wake-up call.

Not affiliated with any of these—just a fan.

What’s one tool that’s been a game-changer for your productivity?

Why Hard Work Feels Bad at First (And How to Push Through)

Most people think they need to feel good to be productive. But the truth? Productivity comes first—feeling good comes after.

Billy Oppenheimer (Ryan Holiday’s research assistant) explains it perfectly:

🧠 When you try to focus, your brain activates stress circuits first.
This is why the first few minutes of deep work feel awful—agitation, restlessness, and frustration.

🚪 That discomfort is a gate. You have to pass through it to reach focus.
Andrew Huberman says, “You have to wade through some sewage before you can swim in clear water.”

💡 The solution? Accept it. Expect it. Push through.
When I sit down to work, I remind myself:

👉 “Accept the initial agitation.”
👉 “Forget how you feel right now.”

Because it will feel good—just not right away.

Next time you struggle to start, try this. Then watch how quickly focus kicks in.

How to make rapid progress in any area of life

Sahil Bloom's 30-for-30 Approach:

Research shows that it takes roughly a month to build a new habit.

By using this method, you'll pretty much guarantee two things:

1. You'll make surprisingly large progress on your goal

2. You'll have built a new habit by the end of it

The smartest people are self-taught

We opened with Naval, so I decided to close with him too.

Have a great week friends!

Previous Elevate Letters👇

P.S. : If you haven’t read our previous Elevate Letter editions here they are 😀 

»Elevate Letter #35: Build Your Focus Like A Muscle

»Elevate Letter #34: 20 books everyone should read at least once in their life

»Elevate Letter #33: 10 Mental Models That Will Sharpen Your Thinking