What if your life and projects were as simple and durable as a Fisher-Price toy?

In this episode, I talk about the Fisher-Price simplicity, how I've learned about it, and how it inspired me to apply it in my own life.

I talk about how my pursuit of elegance and optimization often led to unnecessary complexity, and why I’m choosing to rebuild my foundations on simplicity instead. Think: fewer frills, fewer moving parts, more durability, and more ease.

If you’ve been feeling paralyzed by over-optimization or weighed down by layers of complexity, this framework might help you get back to basics.

👉 Want support as you simplify and focus on what really matters? Join me inside the Focus Room, my membership where we work in 1-month sprints, keep each other accountable, and actually finish the projects we start: https://monthlymethod.com/focus-room/

Learn more about the Focus Room: https://monthlymethod.com/focus-room/

Enrollment closes this Thursday.

In this episode, I share a fresh perspective on why rest is essential for productivity—through the lens of agriculture. Just as farmers rotate crops and allow fields to rest to maintain soil health, we too need scheduled breaks to protect our focus, creativity, and long-term output.

I talk about:

• The silent crisis of soil depletion and what it teaches us about sustainability.
• Why rotating crops and letting fields rest is the perfect metaphor for how we should structure our own work.
• The importance of proactively scheduling breaks (like cool-off weeks) before life forces us to rest through burnout, sickness, or accidents.
• What a cool-off week actually looks like in practice: serving clients, answering emails, maintaining—but not pushing for new projects.
• How to embrace being a “B minus” worker for a week and why your B minus is probably still a solid B.

This episode is about reframing rest not as laziness, but as a vital strategy for longevity, health, and sustainable productivity.

00:00 Introduction to the Cool Off Week

00:34 Understanding Soil Health and Agriculture

02:18 The Importance of Resting Fields

03:16 Government Initiatives and Soil Health

04:03 Applying Agricultural Principles to Productivity

05:24 Practical Tips for a Cool Off Week

07:04 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Join the Focus Room: https://monthlymethod.com/focus-room/

My complicated relationship with summer is about to end.

Learn more about the focus room here: https://monthlymethod.com/focus-room/

Polina from The Monthly Method discusses her hiatus from podcasting and introduces the 'Three Levers' framework, a concept she learned as a junior product manager. The framework helps simplify and streamline any project.

Learn more about the Focus Room: https://monthlymethod.com/focus-room

Timeline:

00:00 Introduction and Welcome Back

00:20 The Three Levers Framework

01:05 Applying the Framework to the Podcast

01:32 Exploring Resource Options

04:06 Adjusting the Timeline and Scope

06:28 Personal Insights and Changes

09:28 Normalizing and Optimizing

14:53 Final Thoughts and Invitation

The final ingredient of my Agile-inspired personal productivity system is the cool-off week. In this video, I share its origin story, explain what it is, describe what I do during this week, and reveal why it has been the key to staying consistent with my productivity system for the last 10 years.

The Calm Ambition Club: https://monthlymethod.com/calm-ambition-club/

Blogpost mentioned:
When feeling down, turn to aesthetics https://monthlymethod.com/aesthetics/

Timeline:
00:00 - Why I invented the cool-off week
01:44 - What is a cool-off week?
03:30 - What's the point of a cool-off week?
05:03 - I'd rather take the breaks on my own terms
06:33 - What do I do during the cool-off week?
09:50 - Benefit: No burnout in the last 10 years
10:52 - Benefit: Gult-free rest
11:31 - Benefit: Looking forward to the next sprint
13:27 - Benefit: Interesting projects get done
15:07 - Benefit: Time and space to think
15:42 - Benefit: Serves as a reward for my long-term efforts
18:17 - Benefit: Creates a nice rhythm in my life
19:30 - If you want to actually DO the things you want to do.

Learn how to apply Agile to your life in a free course: http://monthlymethod.com/school/

If you want to stay in touch:
💌 Newsletter (notes on applying Agile, calm productivity, and finding sanity in this hustle-culture obsessed world) - monthlymethod.ck.page/newsletter
💻 Blog - https://monthlymethod.com/blog
𝕏 Twitter - https://twitter.com/Agile_for_One

Sprint retrospective is the most important ritual in Agile philosophy. I'll share how you can build your own goal management system that is perfectly tailored to your life circumstances.

The Calm Ambition Club: https://monthlymethod.com/calm-ambition-club/

Blog posts mentioned:
Sprint-end celebration https://monthlymethod.com/sprint-end-celebration/
The baby shower story https://monthlymethod.com/failed-sprint-goals/
Optimizing life for a regular Tuesday https://monthlymethod.com/regular-tuesday/

Timeline:
00:00 - Overview
00:38 - What is a sprint retrospective?
01:07 - The shocking part
02:58 - Agile take on growth
04:03 - Sprint retrospective in teams
05:48 - Personal sprint retrospective
07:17 - Becoming your own guru and building your own system
08:51 - Cathedral Effect
09:18 - What got done?
10:46 - What didn't get done?
13:01 - How accurate was your sprint capacity calculation?
13:38 - Quality of life review
14:48 - Creating a Notes file for sprint retrospectives
15:50 - Example: Deeper Why
18:55 - Don't add to your to-do list
20:08 - Example: Making a promise
21:44 - Example: Leaving my phone at home
22:51 - Example: Reddit goal
25:54 - Going a level deeper into why we should do sprint retrospectives
26:54 - Life craftsmanship. The art of living.
28:50 - Curation in a function of time.

Learn how to apply Agile to your life in a free course: http://monthlymethod.com/school/

If you want to stay in touch:
💌 Newsletter (notes on applying Agile, calm productivity, and finding sanity in this hustle-culture obsessed world) - monthlymethod.ck.page/newsletter
💻 Blog - https://monthlymethod.com/blog
𝕏 Twitter - https://twitter.com/Agile_for_One

Why the advice to disappear for a year is problematic. And what you can do instead.

Enrollment for the Calm Ambition Club - February sprint closes tomorrow https://monthlymethod.com/calm-ambition-club/

Chapters:
00:00 - YouTube, we have a problem
01:23 - The only way to change our lives
02:04 - What happens if you manage to disappear for a year?
03:00 - My favourite quote
03:43 - Celebrating limitations
06:26 - If you were feeling hopeless
07:56 - On young generation being lost
08:46 - If you can't escape your life

If you want to stay in touch:
💌 Newsletter (notes on applying Agile, calm productivity, and finding sanity in this hustle-culture obsessed world) - https://monthlymethod.ck.page/newsletter
💻 Website - https://monthlymethod.com