How to Let Go of What’s Not Working (A Simple Framework)

0:00We all of those tasks or workflows in our job or our business that in the past, we've just accepted are gonna take a long time because that's just the way it is, right? These are the sorts of tasks that AI has totally changed for me. Clawed is the AI for minds that don't stop at good enough. It's a collaborator that actually understands your entire workflow and thinks with you, whether you're a debugging code at midnight or strategizing your next business move, Clawed extends your thinking to tackle the problems that matter. For example, I have this regular workflow where I had to go through a bunch of GERA tickets, figure out what they are, and then summarize and communicate them for lay people. It's not especially hard, usually depending on the GERA tickets, but it is time consuming. Well, now I just give my AI tool a ticket, it does it all for me, I check it over, and boom, onto more higher value activities. Ready to tackle bigger problems? Sign up for Clawed today at clawed.ai slash TPS. That's clawed.ai slash TPS and check out clawed pro,

1:01which includes access to all the features mentioned in today's episode. That's clawed.ai slash TPS, that's all lower case. Welcome to the Proctivity Show, Apacas, where we believe that you can get the important things done. Without sacrificing your health, family and things that matter too. I'm Tan, founder of Asian Stoppers in Fishing City, where we help people become more productive at work and in life. And with Wisdom Wednesday episodes, we like to give you actionable productivity advice in less than 10 minutes. Now, we believe that just one tweak a week can lead to massive productivity gains over time. So if you find today's episode helpful, be sure to subscribe, leave us a review, and reach out to us by email at podcastatageneficiency.com. Now, one of the things I want to talk about today on this episode is this whole idea of letting go of what's not working.

2:01Now, let me ask you this. Have you ever kept doing something just because you already invested time, money, or energy into it? Maybe it's a book that you bought and you started reading, but you don't really enjoy reading anymore. Or it's a productivity app that you paid for, but you kind of despise using it. This is what's called the sunk cost fallacy. It's the belief that because we've already invested something, we should stick with it, even when it's not serving us anymore. So here's an example. Imagine you've bought tickets through a concert, but when the day comes, you're sick. You're not feeling well. It's a bad idea for you to go, but you could force yourself to go just because you don't want to waste that money that you spent. But does that really make sense? The money is actually already gone. You already spent it. There's no way of you getting it back, right? And you're just going to make it worse for yourself or even miserable when you go, when you're that sick. So holding onto things out of guilt or fear of waste,

3:04that's the trap that you want to look out for. Because it takes up mental space, it drains our energy, and it keeps us from focusing on what actually truly matters. So letting go might feel like a loss in a moment, but it's actually one of the most productive things that you can do. First, it frees up time and energy. When you stop spending hours on something that's not working, you have more capacity for things that actually move the needle. Second, it gives you clarity. Without the clutter of unnecessary commitments, you can see your goals more clearly. And third, it builds momentum. Letting go of one unproductive thing often gives you the confidence to tackle more. Think of it as like pruning a plant. You cut off the dead branches so the rest of it can grow stronger and brighter. Okay, so that sounds great in theory, but how do we actually decide what to let go of? So I like to use a really simple framework. So the first thing I like you to do is to review your commitments. Make a list of everything you're spending time on.

4:06Think about work, think about tasks you have to do, hobbies, subscriptions, even social commitments. Review all of your commitments. Number two, once you've done that, I want you to ask yourself these three questions. Number one, does this bring me joy or value? Does this bring me joy or value? Number two, is this helping me reach my goals? Is this helping me reach my goals? And then number three, if I hadn't already invested time or money, would I still choose to keep this? And I really like those three questions. And I want you to go over all your commitments and ask yourself those three questions. Clawed doesn't just give me the answers. It helps me think through the problem. It's for those who can't walk past a problem without wanting to solve it. Clawed co-work brings Clawed code's agentic power to your desktop, no terminal required

5:06so anyone can use and have Clawed do real work. You can connect Clawed to your professional tools like GitHub, Gira, HubSpot, Notion, Google Workspace, and more. If there's a tool you use, there's a very good chance, there's a way to connect it. Ready to tackle bigger problems? Sign up for Clawed today at clawed.ai slash TPS. That's clawed.ai slash TPS and check out Clawed Pro, which includes access to all the features mentioned in today's episode. That's clawed.ai slash TPS. That's all lowercase. And one of the things I like to do on top of this is kind of look for, as I like to call them, rep flags and the stuff that I'm committed to. So what are some of those rep flags? Do you feel dread or stress when you're thinking about this commitment? Or are you only doing it out of obligation or guilt? Is it consuming resources you could use better elsewhere? And once you see one of those three come up,

6:07that to me is like an automatic rep flag for you to go, nah, that's probably something I should let go of. For example, I once kept using a journaling app just because I paid a yearly subscription, even though it didn't fit my workflow, and I kind of didn't like the app at all. But I knew that journaling was important. I already spent the money on it. I've kind of ridden a few entries already and then realized, oh, this is not really the app for me. Like I don't really particularly enjoy it. UI or the interface and the way it worked and stuff, but guess what, I already paid for it. So I might as well use it, right? Wrong, that's the song cost fallacy taking place. And once I kind of recognized that, I went, okay, I already spent the money. There's just no way for me to get it back. I'm already passed, you know, the refund period. Okay, if I'm not enjoying it and I'm not really liking this, why would I suffer this whole time for something that I, you know, optionally have to suffer for, right? So I kind of decided to let go of it. And once I let go and switch to something

7:08that actually worked better for me, I was much happier and did way more journaling, even though it cost me a little bit more. In the end, you know, this is now many years later, I'm still journaling on a consistent basis, just because I switched to something that I actually particularly enjoyed and not kept using something for a whole year just because I paid for it. So here comes the hard part and that is actually letting go. Now, if you're struggling with this, I want to give you a couple quick tips. The first thing, and this is something that really helped me was to reframe your thinking. So letting go is not failure. Letting go is not you failing at something. It's actually making room for better opportunities. I want you to reframe your thinking in that way. Letting go is not a failure or a reflection of you is just making room for better things. Number two, I want you to start small. Begin with really low stakes items,

8:09like it could be stuff like canceling a subscription you have in use or saying no to a recurring meeting that really doesn't do anything for you. Once you get confident doing that, doing the other stuff over time, becomes a whole lot easier. Number three, I want you to start practicing saying no. Learning to say no to new commitments that don't align with your goals is one of the best things that you can do. So if there's something you want to try it's learning and practicing to say no. And then the fourth tip I want to give you here is I want you to focus on the positives. I want you to celebrate the wins, the gains. Focus on what you're gaining by letting go. This could be time, energy, and freedom, rather than focusing on what you're losing, okay? So remember, the effort you've already spent isn't wasted if you learn from it and move on. So here's your action step for this week.

9:10As always, we like to keep things simple and actionable on the podcast. I want you to take 10 minutes today to make a list of things that I feel like dead weight. Pick one thing. Just one that you can let go of this week. Maybe it's an app, a project, or even a commitment to something that no longer fits your priorities. Ideally, start small and notice how much lighter you feel and then tackle the bigger things over time. And that's it for today's Wisdom Wednesday episode. Remember, letting go isn't about failure. It's about creating space for what actually matters. Thank you for tuning in. And I can't wait to see you back next week. Bye.