The AX3 Method
When you’ve got too much going on, sometimes you just need somewhere to start.
AX3 is a simple 3-step method to help you work out what’s affecting you most, understand what’s behind it, and decide what to do next.
One area. One reason. One next step.
You don’t need to sort everything out at once. The point is to take everything that feels mixed together and leave with one clearer place to begin.
When everything is competing for your attention, even simple decisions can start feeling harder than they should.
You can think about the same things for days, try different advice, make new plans and still end up no clearer on what actually needs dealing with first.
You keep thinking about the same things without feeling any clearer.
You’ve tried advice, routines or starting again, but you still don’t know what to focus on first.
There are several things you could work on, but trying to deal with all of them at once gets you nowhere.
The usual answer is to look for something else to try.
Another routine, another plan or another piece of advice can feel like the answer, but if more advice was the missing piece, you’d probably feel clearer by now.
And then there’s the pressure to keep improving.
When there’s always something else you could be doing better, it’s easy to keep looking outward for the next answer instead of working out what actually needs your attention.
Society and the modern world give us endless information, opinions and advice about what we should be doing next, but very little of it teaches us how to stop, think for ourselves and work ourselves out first.
You probably don’t need another 47 things to try.
AX3 doesn’t give you another massive routine to follow or expect you to sort your whole life out in one go.
You start with what’s going on right now, narrow it down, and work through three simple questions until you’ve got something useful to do next.
What area of your life is actually affecting you most?
What’s behind it, and why is it affecting you?
What’s one realistic thing you can do next?
Those answers might seem obvious, but there could be more beneath the surface than you think.
Not everything needs your attention at once.
When several things are mixed together, they can all start to feel equally urgent, even when one of them is taking up far more space than the rest.
Several things need your attention and you don’t know which one matters most.
You’ve tried advice, routines, plans or starting again, and you’re still looking for what will actually help.
You keep thinking about the same problems without getting any clearer.
Something feels off, but you can’t quite work out what’s actually causing it.
You end up trying to fix several things at once and making progress with none of them.
AFTER AX3
Eight pages. One method. Something you can actually use.
The free guide explains AX3, then gives you a worksheet to use it on whatever is taking up the most space in your life right now. Read it on your phone, print it out, or come back to it whenever you need to clear things up again.
A lot of what I write about comes back to helping people think for themselves, work themselves out, and get clearer on what to do next.
AX3 came from that same idea, and it’s a process I use myself when too many things are competing for space in my mind. I wanted something simple enough to come back to without turning self-improvement into another full-time job.
— Josh DG
Start with one thing.
Or let things pile up.
The AX3 Method and associated content are provided for general educational and self-reflection purposes only. They’re not medical, psychological or therapeutic advice, aren’t intended to diagnose or treat any condition, and shouldn’t be used as a substitute for professional healthcare or support. If you have concerns about your mental or physical health, please seek advice from an appropriately qualified healthcare professional. Awareness, acknowledgement and action are established concepts used across psychology, healthcare and personal development; The AX3 Method refers to Josh DG’s particular framework, interpretation and application of these concepts. Individual experiences and results may vary.