“Focus is the SUPERPOWER of the 21st Century”
- Bestselling author Eric Barker
Learn how to summon 'creativity on demand'
Organize your life so you can stop focusing on 'Busy Work'
and start focusing on your 'Life's Work'
Arrive home at night feeling like you actually accomplished something
(with energy left over for the important people in your life)
Get. Things. Done.
In today’s ‘Gig Economy,’ we are all replaceable.
If the solution to this problem were as simple as chaining ourselves to our keyboards and “working harder” so we “always looking busy,” we’d all have job security for life.
If you want to deliver higher quality creative work than your competition, deliver that work consistently on deadline, and do it all in less time so you can actually have a life outside your job (and not constantly burn out):
There is no more important skill to master today
than the meta-skill of ‘Focus.’
Luckily for you, focus is not a character trait you were either born with or not
(no matter how much you think “I’m so ADD!”).
Focus is a skill that can be learned, consistently practiced, and ultimately mastered.
Welcome to my Dojo.
From back when I began the program to now, the change in consistency is day and night... it’s crazy! It’s like a drug... you get a taste of what it feels like to get things done. I binge-watched Jessica Jones yesterday and had a PJ day because I’m so ahead of schedule. It was beautiful to have the freedom to do that and not feel guilty!Moni Salazar, Film Editor
I'm impressed. I am now convinced the only way for success in almost every avenue of my life is building systems. I just got a taste of how transformational this can be... and I want more. If I can make this the new norm it will transform my life and everyone else I know that is close to me. Thank you.Barry Andersson, Director & Filmmaker
How awesome would it be to…
Snap your fingers at any given time and summon ‘creativity on demand’ without waiting for hours and hours until the “inspiration strikes” (right when you’d rather be going home...or even worse going to bed)
Break down any project (no matter how big) into individual tasks so small and manageable that it almost seems “too easy” to get things done
Step up to your workstation confident your next most important creative task is the right one to complete next (and you don’t feel like avoiding it)
Finish your daily tasks faster so you have the time to learn advanced skills to further your career...without feeling guilty for wasting time or energy
Have more time to relax and enjoy things in your life outside work (is that even a thing?) feeling confident that you are still going to reach your goals on time
Get "regular" things done more efficiently so you can invest precious time on important goals you actually care about
Feel accomplished and “productive” at the end of the day instead of just “busy”
Umm...yeah right. It’s more like:
- You "kind of" know what you want to accomplish for the day, but when it comes to actually organizing and prioritizing your tasks, you…
...and just like that, you're sucked into your Instagram feed for an hour.
- You often take on too many projects at once because you "Don't want to let people down," only to find yourself exhausted and on the verge of burnout because you never have the energy to take action towards your own goals.
- Whenever someone asks you how you're doing, your default response is, "Crazy busy!" Yet despite working long hours, you often feel like you're not getting anything done at all. All you do is put out other people's fires.
- You've spent way too much time (and money) experimenting with the latest productivity planner or journal, countless to-do list apps, and fancy calendar programs, but you've come to realize you have no idea how to use them properly to accomplish your goals.
- You constantly battle brain fog, you get distracted easily by co-workers, the next urgent email, and the latest news cycle, and you often feel like once you get bored with something "It's all over."
And perhaps you’ve asked yourself these questions?
- What is “time blocking” anyways? And during my time block should I only be doing "Deep Work?" Or should I also do "Shallow Work?" And what the heck is the difference?
- What is the best to-do list app? Trello? Omnifocus? Todoist? And once I have the best app...how am I supposed to organize all of the tasks that I never end up doing?
- Why does this calendar app work for other people but not for me? Should I be using a "bullet journal" instead? Or maybe the problem is I'm not automating enough....ahrhghghh! Where do I start?
- Why do I spend so much time on Facebook and Instagram? I know I should be doing something more important, but it kinda feels like I'm addicted. Am I?
- Why don't I feel motivated to do stuff I know I should be doing? Do I need more willpower? Am I lacking discipline? Seriously, what’s wrong with me?
If you think it’s “just you,” trust me it’s not…
People email me their life stories on a weekly basis
(and I read all of them):
“I struggle with ADD which makes it hard to stay on task and finish things. If I get bored or distracted, I sometimes feel like it’s all over. I’m too lazy to change my bad habits.”
“I waste my time focusing on the wrong things that have no pay off. This uncertainty makes me feel confused and frustrated not knowing what I SHOULD do to succeed.”
“I think it’s difficult to be creative on command. Sometimes it just flows, while other times you hit a brick wall. Some help breaking a larger project into smaller tasks so I’m not so overwhelmed would be useful.”
“Planning out what I need to do next takes more time than just sitting down to do something...anything...so I don’t. Distracted by texts, emails, and social media I then go down the rabbit hole of “What am I doing? Oh...Facebook!”
“If I were able to pick a really narrow focus and drill at it hard I would probably get to my goal much faster. I feel like Indiana Jones when he was reaching for the Grail. That cup is all of my other interests: Music, directing, writing, friends/socializing, watching TV/movies for leisure, so on, so on.”
“I have trouble figuring my next step for my career, so I say ‘Yes’ over and over again to the same kinds of jobs and pigeonhole myself doing work I hate. My life would change if I made time to look inward and figure out what I really want to do.”
“I am a perfectionist so I don’t get things started unless everything is perfect… so nothing is ever perfect.”
“I just can't stick to anything.”
We live in a society engineered to steal our attention. Staying focused today is practically an unwinnable battle.
During any given workday...
- We receive an average of 63.5 notifications
- We check our phones over 80 times (touching them over 2600 times!!!)
- We spend 28% of our day reading or answering email
- We check our email on average every 37 minutes, or a minimum of 15+ times per day
- Overall, we spend over 60% of our day in some form of electronic communication
And being distracted is the least of our problems…
- Working long hours* has been tied to an increase in stroke risk of up to 45%
*PS ‘Long’ is defined as working 10+ hrs per day for only 50 days a year
(with that math, WE’RE ALL DEAD)
- Each year over 300,000+ jobs are lost because of mental health problems (and this is just statistics from the UK alone)
- 32% of employees say they consistently put work before home life
- Nearly 1 in 5 workers are experiencing some form of work-related burnout
It’s gotten so bad that ‘Burnout’ has officially been classified as a
‘Mental Health Syndrome’
We are literally working ourselves to death sacrificing our relationships and our health just so we can keep the hamster wheel spinning.
It wasn't that long ago I too was so distracted, exhausted, and burned out I could barely function.
Hi, my name is Zack Arnold.
By day I’m a Hollywood film & television editor (shows such as Cobra Kai, Unsolved, Empire, Shooter, Burn Notice, and Glee) and in 2017 I became a member of the American Cinema Editors (ACE). By night I’m the creator of the Optimize Yourself program and podcast.
In my “spare time” I’m also an award-winning documentary director, an online instructor and productivity/workflow expert for LinkedIn Learning (formerly Lynda.com), father to two highly energetic and creative kids, I’ve run multiple Spartan Races and Tough Mudders, and I’m currently training for American Ninja Warrior.
Yeah, you could say balancing a demanding job as a film & tv editor, father, podcaster, mentor, and Ninja Warrior-to-be makes me pretty good at productivity and time management...now.
Not so long ago it was a very different story.
- I’ve battled suicidal depression and constant burnout since college, I constantly suffered from acute anxiety (especially in social situations), and in my early twenties I was diagnosed with adult-onset ADD.
- I kept my mental health issues a secret for over a decade out of fear that I would be labeled an imposter. To the outside world I had become an “overnight success story,” but the energy it required to keep up the facade was literally killing me.
- I’ve been so burned out that I once spent an entire month doing nothing but binge-watching seven straight seasons of Shark Tank while demolishing neverending bowls of popcorn (that I chased with Oreo’s).
- My depression has reached the point more than once in my life where I spent entire days lying in the fetal position thinking, “My family would be better off without me.”
- My attention issues have been bad enough that the thought of prioritizing my laundry, keeping up with my bills, AND taking the trash out in the same day would bring me to tears of frustration, overwhelm, and shame.
As my career began to rapidly progress and I became an “overnight success story,” the only solution that helped me consistently hit my deadlines and deliver high quality work was to work harder, but “more hustle” is not a sustainable solution if you’re already working 70+ hours per week (especially with a family).
I realized the only way I could achieve the most important goals in my life (without sacrificing my sanity in the process)
was to stop working harder and start working smarter.
Thus began my journey deep down the productivity rabbit hole learning how to build the systems necessary to perform at a consistently high level without burning myself out (and making sure I still had the time and energy to put my kids to bed at night).
Now after spending close to $100,000 on my own personal development education and becoming a productivity and “time management ninja,” I’d like to drastically shorten your learning curve by sharing with you everything I’ve learned about getting focused on the most important things in your life.
So if it's this "simple" then, you're probably wondering...
What are all the 'Productive' people who seem to ‘Have it all figured out’ doing differently?
You might think “high achievers” have access to super-secret information you don’t, right?
- They use the most cutting-edge daily planners and productivity journals
- They consume the world’s most potent “superfoods”
- They know advanced automation tactics in Trello & Omnifocus
- They have the perfect 67-step morning ritual to “eat their frog” by 6am
- They have a secret “Success Playbook” leading them down the perfect path to their desired career
- They have unlimited access to the world's best coaches
Here’s the good news...none of this crap matters.
Want to know the BIG secret I’ve discovered that most productivity “experts” don’t even know?
Most people struggle with focus, they consistently procrastinate, and they downright give up on their goals because they lack just one thing:
CONFIDENCE
You have lost the productivity game if you ever have to ask yourself the following question:
“So… what should I be doing now?”
Which then leads to...
“I guess I'll start tomorrow.”
Which inevitably becomes...
“I’ll get to that… SOMEDAY.”
Imagine for a second: You wake up in the morning (without hitting the snooze button twelve times) having intentionally designed your day in such a way that you have 100% CLARITY about not only what you need to do in the next hour, but also the next day, week, month, or even this entire year.
Think about what it would feel like to have total CONFIDENCE that the next items on your daily to-do list are the right actions that will lead you to your destination (and ANY productivity app will work...even a pen & post-it notes) instead of feeling “busy” all the time and wondering what the heck you even accomplished this week.
Picture yourself confidently taking the right actions with CONSISTENCY and without struggling to summon willpower you can’t find, motivation you just don’t have, and discipline you’d rather not develop.
If you’re willing to take action, I’m ready to open my playbook to show you how to turn focus into your superpower so you can summon creativity on demand, get organized, and Get. Sh*t. Done.
Introducing ‘Focus Yourself’
'Focus Yourself' is a self-guided online learning course with over 9 hours of video training and hands-on app tutorials (not to mention an additional 12+ hours of 'Expert Interviews') that will teach you how to:
Build a more efficient workflow...not just for your creative projects..but for your whole life.
Develop laser-sharp creative focus so you can summon creativity on demand and 'get in the zone' whenever you need to.
Become a time-management and calendar ninja.
All without having to sacrifice your sanity in the process.
And it’s all simple enough you can use whatever apps you want..even if that means a pen & post-it notes (although I'll do my best to convince you to use Trello & Omnifocus).
Stop spinning your wheels with 'Busy Work.'
Start accomplishing your 'Life's Work.'
What Students Are Saying:
“My mental energy has improved significantly since taking this program, I can now stay in a state of creative flow (thanks to time blocking!), and I now approach everything with intention. Learning how to separate ‘life management’ from ‘project management’ has taken a huge weight off my shoulders.”Patrick Norman, Documentary Director & Editor
“Before I was jumping around doing random things, and always around lunchtime I would get distracted (sometimes for hours). Having ‘Macro’ and ‘Micro’ goals helped me focus, and now I know I’m on the right path and this is the thing I need to do right now.”Emily Zhai, Editor
“Staying focused on my long term goals was one of the main reasons I signed up for this class, and I’ve learned some really valuable tools to help me. The most impactful behavior was learning how to manage my calendar (especially learning how to schedule sleep). Thanks so much for this class, it’s been a complete game-changer for me.”Will Smith, Editor
How Does the Course Work?
Upon enrollment you will receive access to the Focus Yourself ‘Members Only’ Dashboard where all of your course materials, downloads, and video training live. Two Modules will be released per week, and you will have access to all 8 Modules within 21 days. Whether you want to complete the entire program in 4 weeks, 8 weeks, or years is up to you. The material will always be waiting...you have LIFETIME access.
Each of the 8 core educational modules contain a combination of video training (each lesson ranges from 5-15 minutes), step-by-step worksheets, transcripts, and .mp3 audio files so you can learn on-the-go as well*.
*Transcripts and audio .mp3 files will be available soon
This program is available to you on any device with an internet connection: Learn from your desktop, tablet, or mobile device.
Here’s Exactly What You’ll Learn
Module 1: How to Develop a 'Success Mindset'
- Learn my 4 ‘Key Mindsets’ that will help you get the most out of this course, but more importantly these 4 simple lessons will shift your mindset and change your perspective on just about everything
- Take your ‘Baseline Assessment’ to understand where you are now so you can determine where you want to go
What you measure, you can improve upon
Module 2: The Power of Habit Formation
- Learn how habit formation works and how small incremental changes over time can create remarkable results, no matter the goal you’re trying to achieve or the lifestyle changes you’re hoping to establish
- Learn the 4 steps to building a good habit (and eradicating a bad one) so getting focused and taking action consistency becomes practically effortless
- Learn why solely relying on motivation, willpower, and discipline will get you nowhere (and what to focus on instead)
- Learn the important distinction between ‘Goals’ and ‘Systems’ (and why you still need both)
- Learn how to use ‘The Four Tendencies’ framework so you can better understand why you do (or don’t) follow through with things
- A BONUS tutorial demonstrating how to set up both simple and complex habit stacks in my favorite habit formation app
Module 3: How to Properly Define Your GOALS
- Learn the #1 mistake most people make when setting their goals...and the simple tweaks to ensure you focus on the right things
- Formulate a rock solid “Macro Goal” which will become the blueprint that helps you clearly prioritize your next steps on a daily and weekly basis
- Learn how to define your deeper ‘Why’ so motivation to take action becomes practically effortless
- Establish systems of accountability unique to your personality and tendencies so you always follow through
- Includes BONUS hands-on tutorials of my favorite apps that will help you automate multiple reminders to help keep you focused on the right actions
Module 4: Building the Action Plan to Overcome Your OBSTACLES
- Learn how to identify the biggest barriers between you and your goals (This is so insanely simple you’ll wonder why you never thought to do this before)
- Recognize the three different types of obstacles that often keep you from your goals (I bet you didn’t know there were three!) and then reframe these obstacles so you have a plan to overcome them and succeed
- Learn the same insanely simple tricks used by the Navy Seals to break down seemingly-impossible obstacles into manageable hurdles
- Learn how to rewire your brain to better manage adversity, anxiety, and even become a happier person
Module 5: FOCUS and the Power of 'Getting Things Done'
- Learn the ‘Getting Things Done’ system (developed by productivity expert David Allen) so you can narrow down the endless list of “stuff” in your head and break it down into simple, actionable tasks and projects
- Break down your larger ‘Macro Goal’ into small, manageable, and doable ‘Micro Goals’ that you can line up like dominoes and knock over one by one (letting them do most of the work for you)
- This is where you truly get your money’s worth and learn how to narrow down the 8 million possible things vying for your attention down to literally the “One Thing” such that by doing it, everything else after will become easier
Module 6: Building the Habit of ‘Deep Work’
- Learn why developing the daily habit of ‘Deep Work’ is so valuable to your livelihood as a “creative professional” and how it can increase your value, your happiness, and your fulfillment with your work
- The 3 simple steps to make ‘Deep Work’ a daily habit so you can snap your fingers and summon ‘creativity on demand’
- Optimize your workstation and work environment to eliminate all distractions, design your soundscape, and minimize outside interruptions
- Learn why distractions will become your destruction
- Learn all the tools you need to master the art of ‘Time Blocking’ (it’s actually a lot simpler than you probably think)
Module 7: Becoming a Time-Management & Calendar Ninja
- Learn how to differentiate ‘Urgent’ from things that are truly ‘Important’ and prioritize what matters most
- Develop strategies to use the most powerful word in the English language to keep you on task and not overextend yourself
- Learn how to batch process everything in your life to most effectively use your limited time
- Build your ‘Ideal Weekly Calendar’ so you can visualize the best time of day & week to get the right things done
- Master the game of ‘Calendar Tetris’ and use your calendar as your to-do list (actually your calendar will become your own personal assistant if you know how to set it up properly)
Module 8: Building Your REVIEW Workflow
- Build your weekly ‘Battle Plan’ so you can strategize all the moves on your chess board and plan 8 moves ahead
- Setup your daily ‘Shutdown Ritual’ so you can capture what needs to get done and prioritize it properly the following day (so you can go to sleep at night without an anxious thought in your head)
- Includes 5 additional BONUS strategies to get back on track when you’ve fallen off the ‘Productivity Wagon’
BONUS:
Over 12 Hours of ‘Expert Interviews’
I’ve spent the last five years interviewing the world’s foremost experts and bestselling authors on the topics of creativity, productivity, setting goals, and getting things done. I’ve included these interviews as part of this program at exactly the right time in the course to drastically shorten your learning curve so you can learn in a few hours what it’s taken me years to learn and master.
If you’ve ever read any of these books individually:
- Getting Things Done
- Deep Work
- Digital Minimalism
- Atomic Habits
- Better Than Before
- The Four Tendencies
- The One Thing
- Finding Your Why
- Essentialism
...and wondered if anyone out there is crazy enough to combine all of these different programs and concepts into one simple (and actionable) system...search no more.
Even if you’ve heard these interviews before via my podcast, I have included practical action steps to ensure you get the most out of each interview.
This is not passively listening anymore. This is taking real action.
James Clear
Bestselling Author, Atomic Habits
Gretchen Rubin
NYT Bestselling Author, The Four Tendencies
David Mead
Co-Author, Find Your Why
Joe de Sena
Author & Founder, Spartan Race
David Allen
Productivity Expert, Author Getting Things Done
Jay Papasan
Productivity Expert, Co-Author The One Thing
Cal Newport
Productivity Expert, Author Deep Work & Digital Minimalism
Greg McKeown
NYT Bestselling Author, Essentialism
I’m Ready to Enroll. What Do I Get?
*Note: The above image is a representation of the digital content you will have immediate access to upon enrollment. You will not be shipped any physical goods.
Your investment in this program includes the following:
Over 9 hours of video training and hands-on app tutorials you can access from any digital device connected to the web (desktop, phone, tablet, etc)
BONUS: An additional 12 hours of audio interviews with some of the world’s leading experts on focus & productivity
Worksheets and practical exercises to help apply what you’ve learned to your own goals (I’m big on “action steps”)
Mp3 audio files of every lesson so you can learn on-the-go*
Transcripts for every single lesson (if you prefer to read instead of watch)*
Access to the private Optimize Yourself Facebook Group with a community of like-minded creative individuals all ready to help you get focused
*Transcripts and audio .mp3 files will be available soon
If you’re willing to take action, I’m ready to open my playbook to show you how to turn focus into your superpower so you can Get. Things. Done.
Invest in yourself today for as little as 3 payments of:
Have questions before buying? No problem, that’s what this FAQ page is for!
Not ready to pull the trigger yet?
There’s no reason not to with my no-brainer 60-DAY GUARANTEE
"Before going through Focus Yourself I thought exercise was a necessary evil (actually, punishment). Going to the gym was a chore, and running? Out of the question. This program helped me slowly introduce exercise into my life. I now look forward to my gym days and the feeling afterward of being healthy, fit, and happy. And I've lost 20 pounds!?"Sarah Furie, Producer, Editor, Storyteller
The top benefit I got from the course was digging deep into the GO FAR framework...more specifically learning how to identify my obstacles and build a system to tackle them. Now I apply this framework to my career as well as my running, which I'll be taking to a new level when I run my first half-marathon!Krystle Penhall, Editor & Filmmaker
Frequently Asked Questions
My No-Brainer
60-DAY MONEY BACK GUARANTEE
I have spent more than a decade learning everything I possibly can about high performance psychology and what it truly takes to achieve difficult goals. I’ve been through the ringer myself and use this exact system every single day to structure the habits that allow me to be creative when I need to ‘get in the zone’ but also decompress when it’s time to recover. Therefore I am 100% confident the systems and strategies outlined in this course will change the way you approach all of the challenges in your life and help you stay focused on your goals, no matter the obstacles standing in your way.
You are welcome to join ‘Focus Yourself’ for 60 days, 100% RISK FREE
You can review every video in the course, listen to every podcast, and fill out every worksheet, and if you find this course doesn’t meet your level of satisfaction, all you have to do is send me one email and request your refund.
But here’s the deal – I’m not looking for “tire kickers.” I have no interest in offering ten years of my knowledge to those who just want to “window shop.” So I’m going to assume you’re serious about putting 100% of your effort into this program. And if you feel that I haven’t given you 100% of my effort in return, you get 100% of your purchase price refunded to you. It’s that simple.
Just don’t be “that guy” who buys the course, doesn’t log in for 59 days, then figures he deserves a refund. But I’m offering this refund to you because I know you’re not “that guy.”
If you’re willing to take action, I’m ready to open my playbook to show you how to turn focus into your superpower so you can Get. Things. Done.
Invest in yourself today for as little as 3 payments of:
Have questions before buying? No problem, that’s what this FAQ page is for!
Not ready to pull the trigger yet?
There’s no reason not to with my no-brainer 60-DAY GUARANTEE
If you’ve scrolled this far, I’m 100% confident this course is the perfect fit for you because you stick with things. And even if you don’t...I can help you do so.
There is nothing worse than the moment you ask yourself “So...what do you I do now?” and then escape to Instagram and Facebook because you have no idea what you should be doing next.
I want to make sure you never have to ask yourself "What now?" ever again.
I want to make sure you are never anxious or afraid to take action again because you think you’re wasting your time putting effort and energy into something that will just lead nowhere.
I want to make sure that when the pressure is on you can snap your fingers and summon ‘creativity on demand.’
But I also want to make sure you understand how to pace yourself so you can be creative consistently without always burning out at the end of a project.
I want to make sure you never go after your goals without a clear action plan and end up feeling disheartened, aimless, or lost because you haven't defined a direction for your life.
Change will not happen overnight, but that’s okay. I’m going to teach you how to stop playing your game of life like a game of checkers and start playing it like a game of chess.
Ready to take the red pill and see how deep the productivity rabbit hole goes?
Let’s do this!
Be well.
Zack Arnold
Creator, Optimize Yourself
P.S. Don’t forget, you have 60 days to try this program 100% RISK FREE. If this course doesn’t help you develop the clarity, confidence, and consistency necessary to follow through with your most important goals, just send me an email and I'll refund you on the spot. But you won’t…because nobody ever does.
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