Focus On What Matters: Stoic Productivity Challenge - by Jon Brooks

COURSE

Focus On What Matters: Stoic Productivity Challenge

With Jon Brooks

This 10‑day challenge blends timeless Stoic tools with modern productivity so you can stop chasing everything and finally do the essential few. Each day you’ll get an 8–12 minute audio lesson plus one simple action—focusing on the dichotomy of control, the “adjacent possible,” attention hygiene, and “do less, better.” Expect calm clarity, a shorter to‑do list, and meaningful progress without the frenzy. The spirit of this course is informed by Oliver Burkeman’s wise take on time and attention (credited with respect, no book required), paired with practical Stoic practices like premeditatio malorum and view‑from‑above. You’ll leave with a repeatable micro‑routine for choosing what matters—at work and in life.


Meet your Teacher

Jon Brooks is a teacher of Stoicism and mindfulness, known for blending ancient philosophy with real-world application. With over a decade of practice, his work helps people respond wisely to life’s challenges—using calm, clarity, and courage. Drawing from Stoic texts, meditation, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Jon offers practical tools for self-mastery. He’s interviewed thinkers like Donald Robertson and Jules Evans on his podcast, which explores philosophy not as theory, but as training for the soul. Jon’s meditations have reached millions, helping listeners meet fear, anxiety, and uncertainty with grounded presence. His approach centers on the idea that we become free when we align our focus with what’s truly in our control.

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10 Days

167 students

5.0 stars

7 min / day

Focus

English


Lesson 1

Time Is Finite: Choose Wisely

We open by facing the simple truth: you have limited time and attention. Instead of trying to do it all, we’ll define your “essential few” and set a lightweight daily cadence for the challenge. You’ll learn a 60‑second reset to notice when you’re drifting into low‑value tasks and a one‑line filter for what earns your time today.

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Lesson 2

Busy ≠ Productive: Drop Fake Control

Chasing perfect control creates busyness without impact. Today we practice the Stoic dichotomy of control: act where you have leverage, release the rest. You’ll identify two recurring tasks to stop or simplify and rehearse a “let‑go line” you can say to yourself when anxiety spikes.

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Lesson 3

Limits Are Leverage

Constraints can sharpen focus. You’ll design “friendly limits” (time boxes, scope lines, and daily caps) so progress becomes automatic. We’ll build a tiny window for your most important work and protect it with a simple boundary script.

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Lesson 4

The Adjacent Possible: The Next Right Move

Progress rarely comes from giant leaps; it comes from the next doable step. We’ll pick one small action that nudges your most important project forward and bake it into a two‑minute “starter ritual” you can repeat all week.

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Lesson 5

Guard Your Attention

Attention is your most valuable and precious resource. Today, we will focus on fine-tuning your environment to effectively minimise distractions and maximise opportunities for deep, focused work. Additionally, we will take proactive steps to anticipate and preempt common derailers by engaging in a brief exercise of premeditatio malorum, which involves contemplating potential challenges and obstacles in advance.

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Lesson 6

Enough Is Plenty

Lifestyle inflation and goal sprawl breed restlessness. We’ll define “enough” for a key area (time, money, scope, or social), then align actions to that line. This frees energy for what actually matters.

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Lesson 7

Cosmic Insignificance, Everyday Courage

Seen from the wide view, our stresses shrink. Using view‑from‑above we’ll lighten perfectionism and take kinder risks. Expect a calmer inner climate and a willingness to publish, ship, or speak even when imperfect.

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Lesson 8

Depth Over Dazzle

We trade scattering for depth—choosing one relationship, craft, or practice to engage with fully. You’ll create a “depth session” with a start ritual, a single outcome, and a finish line so satisfaction is visible.

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Lesson 9

Train With Discomfort

Growth is intentionally designed to feel uncomfortable, as it pushes us beyond our current limits and encourages development. To make this discomfort more manageable, we will implement small “exposure reps” that gradually build our resilience. These reps will include a Fear-to-Action ladder, which helps us systematically confront and overcome our fears, and a 90-second calming breath exercise, which we will perform before each rep to help us stay composed and focused.

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Lesson 10

Commit Your Short List

We close by distilling a personal “Short List”: 3 outcomes to revisit weekly, 3 daily practices, and one “never again” boundary. You’ll leave with a one‑page plan and a simple weekly review to keep momentum.

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5.0 (24)

Recent Reviews

KatieG

December 4, 2025

I really appreciate and value Jon’s contributions on stoicism, including this very practical course! I am shifting some of my daily practices as a result (with slippage of course), but refreshing and re-listening helps. Also congrats to Jon on the birth of a child. From previous courses I think this may be Jon’s second child, and his use of personal experience also elevates what I take away!

Tara

December 3, 2025

There is something in Jon’s presentation style that invites practice, reflection, and embodiment. Much of what’s in the course I already “knew”. Now I’m actually beginning to live it, to use it in my “remaining weeks”. The content is rich. Invest time in the practices and reflection questions. I went back several times to lesson five before continuing on. This course is worth your precious time.

Tracy

November 29, 2025

Amazing concept. Life changing and inspirational. Thank you.

Beth

November 27, 2025

Insightful, timely, helpful

Scarlett

November 20, 2025

This is one of the best courses I've taken here. Thank you!

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