Discover the secret of productivity through movies!

📚 With so many productivity books out there, why not take a break from reading and learn something from movies instead?

📽️ Let’s take a classic 80s movie, The Karate Kid, as our first entrant. (Yes, I just referred to an 80s movie as a “classic.“)

📝 For those of you who are unaware of the premise of The Karate Kid, here’s your TLDR: It’s a coming-of-age flick about a boy named Daniel who moves to a new city with his mother. He gets bullied by a group of karate students and finds a mentor in Mr. Miyagi, a handyman who happens to be a martial arts expert.

🤣 I know you’re probably wondering at this point, “Which movie studio would reject that script?”

🎓 Under Miyagi’s guidance, Daniel learns karate and participates in a tournament where he battles his bullies. Spoiler alert: Daniel wins the tournament.

🕵🏽‍♀️ Now for the productivity secret I promised. There is a memorable scene where Mr. Miyagi charges his student, “Daniel-san, must have focus!”

💥 Bam! There it is! 💥

I really connected with this idea that I’ve referred to it as the “Miyagi Method” for years. To define it just a bit more, it means having pure focus on one thing at a time.

In our work life, we may encounter an egregious number of tasks or decisions throughout the day, but by treating each with pure Miyagi-inspired focus, you will improve your productivity dramatically.

In fact, before you start your next task, and throughout, take a moment to chant the Miyagi Method Mantra: “insert last name-san, must have focus!”

Now, for the shameless plug. As a successful technical product manager, I’ve found that the Miyagi Method helps me create engaging and thoughtful pieces for teams. It also allows me to accomplish more and run multiple streams. I’m sure each of us is productive in our own way and must find what works best for us.

I’m sure you’ll agree that movies can be just as effective for learning as books!