Did you catch the last issue on the evolution of attention spans? If not, you can read it here.
Today, we’re diving into something a bit different. We’ll be looking at a course I recently completed – the ICOR Mastery Course.
Unpacking ICOR: The 4-Step Road to ‘Getting Sh*t Done’
Before your eyes glaze over thinking it’s just another acronym, let me break it down:
- Input: Absorb information from the world like a sponge and place it into your digital sanctuary.
- Control: Process that info at the speed of thought, turning it into actionable insights.
- Output: Realise your dreams through Goals, Projects, Tasks, or simple to-dos.
- Refine: Streamline and optimise your workflow to achieve that peace of mind we’ve all been searching for.
Why ICOR is a Game-Changer
I originally signed up for this course because I was drowning in “productivity clutter”.
Information was scattered across apps and my grasp on tasks was no better.
The course got me to a point where:
- Every app had its place
- Every piece of information could be dealt with easily
- I could focus on completing tasks that got me further towards my goals
The Art of Control
We all know that feeling: You stumble on an intriguing article or Tweet, and before you know it, you’re down a rabbit hole.
Maybe you’re like me though and you save it into a read-it-later app. That just moves the rabbit hole somewhere else though.
ICOR teaches you how to turn all that information into actionable insights.
Output
This part of the course redefined how I think about goals, projects, tasks, to-dos, and priorities.
It gave me super clear definitions of each. For instance, a goal is something that will take you more than a month to complete. A task is something that will take less than a week.
Before, everything was a bit vague. “Oh, that should be a goal because it seems big”.
Now it’s easy to know where things should go in my workflow.
Refinement: The Fine-Tuning of Life
This is an ongoing part of the course. It’s part of life.
Once we have a good productivity and PKM workflow in place, it’s time to improve it.
First we take the tasks and processes we’re already doing and we optimise them.
Once we’ve done that, we automate what can be automated.
And then we do it again next time we review our systems.
It’s not just about ticking off tasks; it’s about attaining peace of mind. And let’s be honest, that’s the dream, right?
ICOR Implementation
The course also packs a real kicker at the end – an “ICOR framework” template that helps you create a personalised diagram.
You’ll instantly spot tool gaps and redundancies in your system.
Here’s an image of mine, with all the apps split between business project and knowledge management, and personal project and knowledge management.
Recognise any of your favourite apps in there?
Want a Test Drive?
Here’s a link to my sign-up page that grants you 3 days full access for free.
It also gives you access to the email management course and digital note taking course. They’ve got a project management and task management course in the works right now too!
Full transparency, it’s an affiliate link. So if you do decide to sign up, I get some money which helps me keep writing this newsletter to you.
Final Thoughts
If you want to reach your goals using effective tools efficiently, ICOR is worth the time investment.
They have a “horizontal” version of the course that takes a few hours. Then they have a “vertical” version that’s packed with bonus material and extra videos.
There’s a community of students and course creators over there which adds another layer of learning.
What are your thoughts on this framework? Would love to hear your insights.
Until next time, keep working towards those goals!
