To say something is life-changing—that phrase gets tossed around a lot, but this literally feels like an inflection point. There's a 'before this course' and an 'after this course' for me. I'm in control of my life in a way that I simply was not previously.
What does Action-Powered mean?
Other productivity systems haven't worked for you. They might work for a little while, but never for long. Never for life.
Here's why: They give you structure in advance. Which seems like something you'd want. Structure is a good thing, isn't it?
No. Structure that reflects the action you need to take is a good thing.
Structure that you have to shoehorn your unique life and work into is a bad thing. And it's why nothing ever works for more than a few weeks. There's too much friction between the imposed structure and the action it's supposed to support.
Action-Powered Productivity works in the other direction.
Action-Powered means putting action first and letting your productivity toolkit grow from what you do. By focusing on two simple tactics—Take Action and Capture Recurrence™—you build efficiency into your work naturally. Each action you take becomes an opportunity to streamline future work, creating a toolkit that evolves with you.
No rigid systems, just meaningful action and continuous improvement. And because Action-Powered Productivity easily adapts to change, that's meaningful action and continuous improvement... for life.
What is Fundamentals of Action-Powered Productivity?
Fundamentals of Action-Powered Productivity is a 12-week course where you'll assemble the unique productivity toolkit that allows you to do effective, efficient, and fulfilling work for the rest of your life.
"Twelve weeks?!?" you may ask. Yes, but we're not overloading you with Zoom meetings or assignments. Fundamentals of APP is spread out so it fits your life and work rather than distracts from it. There are weeks with content and live sessions, but also independent action weeks where you can implement what you've learned, iterate on your toolkit, and make real progress without disruption.
There's room for learning and room for action—and room to learn from your action. The techniques we'll cover aren't complicated, but learning new tools and building new habits takes time!
Here's the full curriculum, week by week:
Week 0: Productivity Snapshot (Before Feb 24)
- Take a Productivity Snapshot of your current apps and skills
- Assess gaps in your current toolkit
- Identify apps to add, remove, or replace
- Identify skills to improve
- Meet Axton, your exclusive AI Productivity Assistant (Available around November 1)
- Read (or reread) The Rhythms of Productivity
Week 1: Take Action (Feb 24 – Mar 2)
If action comes first, we must be able to take effective action. Fundamentals of APP focuses on three key skills that make taking action easier.
In Week 1 we will:
- Capture notes that surface when you need them
- Create tasks that make future work clearer and easier
- Prepare agendas that make your days more predictable and flexible
Week 2: Independent Action (Mar 3 – Mar 9)
- Take action on the work in front of you
- Log your actions each day
- Implement the notes, tasks, and agendas from Week 1 and refine them
Weeks 3-5: Capture Recurrence (Mar 10 – Mar 30)
To free up time, effort, and mental bandwidth, we must take efficient action. Fundamentals of APP improves your efficiency by teaching you to capture recurrence™. You look at the action you took and create the recurring task, procedure, template, or automation that will allow you to do it more efficiently in the future.
In Weeks 3–5 we will:
- Address concerns about notes, tasks, or agendas that you discovered during your Independent Action week
- Review the log: what actions will you take again in the future? (Hint: most of them!)
- Create recurring tasks for actions you take on a regular basis
- Create procedures and routines for processes you follow frequently
- Create templates to store work you do often and make it quicker and more reliable in the future
- Create automations to "delegate to technology" any procedures or patterns you perform often
- Receive your scheduling link for your two 1-on-1 one-hour consulting sessions with R.J.
Weeks 6-7: Independent Action (Mar 31 – Apr 13)
Happy Holidays!
- Work with your toolkit: what's working, what's not?
- Capture recurrence into recurring tasks, procedures, templates, and automations whenever you spot it
Weeks 8-10: Roles and Reviews (Apr 14 – May 4)
To live the life we want to lead, we must take fulfilling action. Fundamentals of APP makes your work more fulfilling through your roles: the identities you embody in your life and work. When you direct your action toward the roles that are important to you—and direct it away from the roles you want to eliminate, you will focus on the right work. And when you review your work and workflows, you keep your work calibrated and your toolkit adaptable to change.
In Weeks 8–10 we will:
- Address challenges arising from anything we've implemented so far
- Assess your recurring actions: what "roles" do they imply for you in your life and work?
- Implement roles in your life and work
- Align your actions with the roles you want, remove action (as possible) from roles you don't want
- Implement regular reviews of your work and workflows
Week 11: Independent Action (May 5 – May 11)
- Refine roles
- Perform reviews
- Reflect on your progress: where are the gaps that remain in your apps and skills?
Week 12: The Road Ahead (May 12 – May 18)
Nothing is set in stone. You will continually improve your toolkit and your proficiency using it. Fundamentals of APP closes with a second Productivity Snapshot—where are you now, and what apps or skills would help improve your work and workflows from here?
In Week 12 we will:
- Fix what we can, make sure you're equipped to fix things on your own in the future
- Capture future work for improving your apps, skills, and overall productivity toolkit
What does the 12-week course include?
In Fundamentals of Action-Powered Productivity, we are focused on action. Everything that's included is to support your ability to Take Action now and Capture Recurrence to take better action in the future.
- My book The Rhythms of Productivity to cover in detail every aspect of the Action-Powered Productivity approach
free ebook OR purchase paperback or hardcover on Amazon - Axton, your AI Productivity Assistant trained on the Action-Powered Productivity approach and ready to help you develop your skills and toolkit
- 18 live group sessions via Zoom to learn skills, share insights, and tackle challenges collaboratively
See the Schedule of Live Events for dates and times - Two 1-on-1 one-hour consulting sessions with R.J., scheduled at your convenience from Week Four through four weeks after the end of the course
- All Zooms, group and 1-on-1, are recorded and available to watch later
- Easy-to-understand video demos, when relevant
- Enrollment to the Action-Powered Productivity community. The community has a forum, as well as spaces for discussion and learning from each other
- If you use Tana: Tana users receive Tana for Action to install an APP-based task management approach in Tana
If these individual items were sold separately, the cost would be well over $3,000. The cost of the two 1-on-1 sessions would be nearly the full cost of the 12-week course!
For now, Fundamentals of Action-Powered Productivity is only $500. You can expect that to increase significantly in the future.
And because of your discounts, if you purchase today, your cost is only $425
Outcome
At the end of the 12-week course, you will be:
- Confident building, adapting, running, and maintaining your productivity toolkit in the apps and tools you prefer
- Equipped with tools and apps—including AI—to help you work efficiently, effectively, and accurately
- In control of your time
- Equipped with valuable routines & habits, as well as templates for your recurring processes and projects
- Equipped to further refine your system to adapt to future changes in your life and work
- More efficient and effective than you've ever been with systems you've used in the past—because this productivity toolkit is tailormade for you
- More fulfilled by your work than you've ever been—and equipped to make your work even more fulfilling in the future
It's interesting for me comparing and contrasting this to a certain other very well-known productivity course that I did not that long ago for six times as much money. I've got 10 times as much out of this for one-sixth of the financial investment.
Meet the book: The Rhythms of Productivity
The Fundamentals of Action-Powered Productivity course is built on the principles of The Rhythms of Productivity. This book provides in-depth guidance on R.J. Nestor's Action-Powered Productivity (APP) method, teaching you how to take decisive action, capture recurrence through Productivity Bridges™, and align your work with meaningful life roles. While the course will provide live guidance and tailored support, Rhythms serves as a resource you can revisit anytime to reinforce your understanding of APP principles.
Reader Praise
I finished 'Rhythms' yesterday, and I want you to know I haven't felt the same confidence and enthusiasm since I first read GTD more than 20 years ago. I have been on the Hyrum Smith/Franklin Covey/GTD/Todoist (Grandmaster)/Roam 'keep it together until it comes together' train for my adult life, and 'Rhythms', to me, is the most 'adult', real-world, holistic, battle-tested, accurate approach that I've come across.
This book has helped me so much! I feel like I have concrete tools to manage my time and projects. I can’t recommend it enough to high performers who need systems for clearer boundaries between work and life.
Meet Axton: Your Exclusive Productivity Assistant
Axton is your personal, always-on-call productivity assistant, built exclusively for Fundamentals of Action-Powered Productivity. Designed to help you implement the APP approach in real-time, Axton answers your specific questions about taking action, capturing recurrence, and using the right apps for your workflow.
Axton is powered by the OpenAI Assistants AI, and is specifically trained on Action-Powered Productivity principles. Whether you're setting up a new app, refining your note-taking system, or streamlining your task management, Axton has you covered.
With Axton, you're never alone on your productivity journey. This exclusive resource is designed to make your APP toolkit truly your own—and to be there for you whenever you need a guiding hand.
This course has significantly boosted my productivity and confidence. The APP system is effective, practical, and has positively transformed my task management. Overall, it's been a game-changer in my daily routine.
R.J. Nestor, Productivity Consultant
R.J. Nestor is a productivity consultant, musician, and writer. He is a communication and productivity expert with 20+ years of experience helping people say what they mean to say and do what they mean to do.
R.J. is the founder of the Action-Powered Productivity community, and creator of numerous productivity courses and tools. R.J. is the author of the book The Rhythms of Productivity, which is the core content implemented in Fundamentals of APP.
As a consultant, R.J. helps you get important work done. He coaches entrepreneurs, executives, and freelancers from diverse industries: technology, finance, architecture & design, real estate, insurance, fitness, law, and more. You have great ideas and boundless potential. R.J. provides the tools and guidance to execute your ideas and realize your potential.
Common Concerns
- I don't have enough time to commit to a 12-week course
- $425 is too expensive
- I'm new to productivity tools
- How do I know this course will actually improve my productivity?
- Will this course be relevant to my specific field or industry?
- What if I don't achieve the promised outcomes?
- How is this course different from other productivity tools or courses?
Fundamentals of APP is designed for busy individuals. While it spans 12 weeks, there are Independent Action weeks with no content or live sessions. You'll have time to digest and apply the content. Plus, the live sessions are recorded, allowing you to engage with the material at your own pace. And, of course, the skills and strategies you'll learn are aimed at saving you time and effort for the rest of your life!
Investing in Fundamentals of APP is investing in your future productivity and efficiency. The skills and tools you gain will save you time and resources for the rest of your life, dramatically outweighing the initial cost.
Don't worry if you're new to productivity tools. The Productivity Snapshot at the beginning Fundamentals of APP will help get you started. And the live sessions, community support, and—especially—Axton (your AI Productivity Assistant) can help you learn how to put your apps to use in the Action-Powered Productivity approach.
Fundamentals of APP is built on ten years of productivity experience and consulting, plus my specific expertise using various productivity tools. My Action-Powered Productivity approach has served hundreds of clients, both in the community and over previous cohorts. Plus, with the nature of the course, I'm there with you to answer your specific challenges—and Axton is too! We'll get you on the right path!
The Action-Powered Productivity approach championed in Fundamentals of APP is universally applicable, regardless of your industry. The principles of productivity and the use of various apps and skills are adaptable to various fields. We've had successful participants from technology, finance, design, and many more industries.
We understand that every participant's journey is unique. That's why Fundamentals of APP offers personalized guidance and a supportive community to help you tailor the system to your needs. Plus, the curriculum is flexible to address specific issues you might face.
Unlike generic productivity courses, Fundamentals of APP is specifically designed around an action-first productivity approach. It's not just about using a one tool or another; it's about integrating the apps you prefer into a toolkit that makes your work more efficient, effective, and fulfilling.
Fundamentals of APP FAQ
- When does the next course start and finish?
- How long do I have access to the content?
- What if I am unhappy with Fundamentals of APP?
- How do I access the Circle community where the course is hosted?
The upcoming Fundamentals of APP will be February 24 through the week of May 12, 2025. See the Schedule of Live Events for specific dates and times.
All content will be available to you indefinitely in the APP community.
The refund policy is simple: If you can demonstrate you completed the content up through Week 1, and at that point you decide Fundamentals of APP isn't for you, DM me in the Circle community to request a full refund. After Mar 2, no further refunds will be processed.
The sign-up link will be available when you enroll. If you have trouble joining the community, email me.