Sunsama Saves the Day

Yesterday I found out I was approved to be an ambassador for @sunsamaHQ.

Thank you @lessaraebiger for introducing me to Sunsama and for encouraging me to apply for their ambassador program. Thank you @sunsamaHQ for reviewing and approving my application.

Here are three reasons why I’m excited about being an ambassador for Sunsama:

1. Everything is (finally) in one location.

If you are anything like me you have flipped through productivity app after productivity app. Hoping that finally your productivity woes will be resolved. The siren call of “Oo shiny” beckoned you only to drop them after a few days, a few weeks, or if you are lucky a few months of use.

What is the end result?

-You have duplicate tasks replicated across multiple platforms.

-Because you haven’t been able to stick with one app or BuJo for long enough, you haven’t been able to get meaningful work done.

-Tasks are split across platforms domains of life. Think personal, work, and business.

You do not have a clear single source of truth of what you need to get done and when.

Does this sound familiar?

50 sticky notes are cluttering your desk.

Tasks are everywhere. They are on those sticky notes, a notepad you forgot at home, a ToDoist list from 2022, and the 16th sub-page of that free Notion giveaway you haven’t looked at since you got it. Your calendar is a mess and your inboxes are overflowing. You’d be more than happy to GTD if you could find the thing you need to be working on at this very moment.

Issues abound.

How Sunsama has resolved those issues for me.

Sunsama is the first app where I am able to integrate all of my separate systems and get a clear picture of what needs to get done, when, and for whom.

Everything is finally all in one place. It’s up to us to keep it that way.

2. Built-in focus

Now that you have your list of tasks. You need to focus to complete them.

This can be incredibly difficult if you are neurodivergent or if you haven’t developed the muscle memory to do this at will. Don’t worry Sunsama is here to help.

Welcome to focus mode. Simply click on your first tasks in the list and press “F” on your keyboard. You now have a window that only shows the task at hand. Say goodbye to being overwhelmed by your long to-do list. You can focus on one task and one task only.Keeping the focused task open grounds me to the work that matters.

That way when you (okay I) have 570 tabs open (half of which are cat videos) you (I) can be gently reminded to close them and focus on the post you started two hours ago. Okay, so you (I) only have 470 tabs open and only 30 of them are cat videos.

Our focus needs more focus.

Sunsama’s focus tab is the exact way to get it.

3. Creating a rhythm to embrace limitations.

A core feature of Sunsama is the daily start-up and wind-down routines. Let me explain why I’m in love with this feature.

At the beginning of every day, the app walks you through a step by step process to plan your day. First, it asks you to add your tasks for the day. Second, it asks you to assign a time estimate to each task. Third, it has you plan them into your day around all of your other events and meetings for the day. (Say goodbye to double-booking grandma’s birthday with that three-hour long X-space.)

These time estimates are incredibly valuable for a few reasons.

It adds constraints to your time.

Sunsama warns you if your total tasks for the day go over 8 hours of estimated time, and asks you if there is work that can be put off to another day.

It forces you to reflect on your day and the tasks you have planned.

Do they align with your goals? Is it an essential task that must be done? Can it be postponed, delegated, or ignored altogether?

It flexes your time estimation muscle.

If you have never estimated how long it takes to complete a task before, your estimates will be way off to begin with. That is okay. Over time you will gain the ability to accurately estimate how long it takes to complete a given task. This allows you to get more done in less time. That way you can do what needs to be done, and focus on the moments that matter around you.

Estimating and tracking your time gives you the ability to see your progress and so much more. Like say how much time you actually spent working on that deliverable for your client.

The Rundown

At the end of your day, Sunsama asks you to wind down and review what you have accomplished for the day. I find this incredibly valuable for a few reasons.

This practice gives a clear start and stop to your day.

If you are a freelancer, a business owner, or looking to transition out of a 9 to 5 into something of your own. There is a hard fact of life you MUST face.

The work never ends, and it will easily overtake you if you don’t have clear boundaries.

This is especially important to learn if you are transitioning out of a 9 to 5 lifestyle for the first time. You won’t have a manager asking why you don’t have your TPS reports completed in triplicate, or screaming at you for going 5 minutes over on your scheduled hours.

Instead, you will have a constant flow of requests, messages, tasks, and emergencies fighting for your attention. All of which sound urgent and business-threatening to a distracted mind.

Just five more minutes can easily turn into five more hours. Causing your family life and health to suffer. I’ve lived this. Trust me this is a path you want to avoid at all costs.

Using Sunsama as a gentle reminder of balance is a game-changer in setting boundaries.

An established process to end the day.

Sunsama is intentional about encouraging you to reflect on your day. Their prompts create a seamless process to review what you have accomplished, tie up loose ends, hand off any lingering tasks, and power down for the day. It has created a routine that allows me to “clock out” for the day, so I can focus on my family.

These reasons are just the tip of the iceberg for why I’m excited about being a Sunsama ambassador.

The cherry on top.

As an ambassador, I get a unique affiliate link (below) that allows me to gift you a 30-day trial to try Sunsama for yourself instead of the standard 14-day trial. Think of it as my gift to you.

Don’t take my word for how awesome Sunsama is see the results for yourself. https://try.sunsama.com/EclecticJOAT

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