Increase Productivity: A Review of The Mastery Journal from EOFire

Increase Productivity; that has been my goal for years as a personal development blogger. I’ve read a number of books and applied various techniques over time. Some have worked well, others have failed miserably. My challenge is that I’m a creative. I have shiny object syndrome. I love to create and use new things. This challenge often presents itself with a lack of focus. Put a new post from Facebook, a new tweet from Twitter, or a notification of a new email, and my focus instantly deflects.

For years my best defense from shiny object syndrome has been time boxing. I simply turn off all distractions, set a timer for 50 minutes and do one (and only one) thing till the timer goes off. Then I take a ten-minute break and repeat as necessary. This technique works well and can often double or triple my productivity during a distraction-filled day.

Since the time boxing technique has been my go to productivity strategy, I was intrigued when I heard about the Mastery Journal from podcaster, John Lee Dumas of EOFire. Listed right in the description was the fact that this journal could help me master these three skills:

Productivity: Accomplish tasks that matter to you and your business by putting a plan in place!
Discipline: Learn how to take your plan of action and EXECUTE that plan!
F.O.C.U.S.: Follow One Course Until Success and remain distraction-free in the process!

Once I looked at the pictures of the daily pages, I could see that time boxing was a major component.

Each day includes 4 time boxing sessions plus a place for your morning routine. You get to choose your time box. For me, I like to use the 50/10 box (fifty minutes focus time, ten-minute break) or for longer projects a 100/20 box.

Mastery Journal Review

I’ve been using the Mastery Journal for ten days now. I can honestly say it has really changed my daily routine. It has become a daily coach, reminding me of my daily commitments. As a bonus, John Lee offers a Facebook group for daily accountability for people who have purchased the journal. It’s a nice touch to share with others and keep yourself on track.

Here is my overview

Mastery Journal Pros

Nice Quality Deluxe Bound Journal
Beautiful Cover Design and Text
Full Day View For Easy Access
Four Page Marking Ribbons
Simple and Easy To Follow Instructions
Well Thought Out Daily Pages
Sections for Morning Routine, Gratitude, and Four Sessions
Productivity and Discipline Tracker
Daily Productivity Review
Next Day Goal Area
Daily Positive Quotation
Ten Day Review Pages
Full 100 Day Plan

Mastery Journal Cons

Cannot Add Additional Pages
Binding Does Not Lie Completely Flat When Open
Would Like To See a Better 100 Day Completion Section

Overall

This is one of the best productivity tools I have ever used. It is simple to learn and designed as a 100-day mastery program for productivity, discipline, and focus. There are milestone sections at the end of each ten week period to keep you on track and reflect on your progress. Printed journals have their pros and cons. This one is very nice quality and something you’ll be proud to own, especially when you get to day 100.

This blog post is being written on day ten with the journal. Over the last two weeks, it has helped motivate me to create ten blog posts and ten podcasts. The time box feature of the journal is the best part. If you fill it in and set a timer, you will get it accomplished.

The private online Facebook group has been wonderful. Both John and Kate of EOFire have been helpful answering questions and explaining features.

If you are looking to increase productivity and focus, this is a great place to start.