I have a confession to make. I struggle with productivity. I procrastinate to no end. I put things off until the absolute last minute.
It took me 15 years to figure out solutions to my serial procrastination. I’m going to teach them to you in less than 10 minutes. I’ll keep it simple and brief so you actually finish reading this.
01Build Momentum Using Pomodoro
This technique is my first step for everything. When I don’t feel like working, I immediately jump to this technique.
Set a timer for 25 minutes and dive into a single task. When the timer goes off, take a 5-minute break. After four Pomodoro sessions, take a longer 15–30 minute break.
90% of the time, I want to do the work, but my mind is busy procrastinating, making me feel like everything is overwhelming.
The technique isolates your thinking to a very small aspect of the work:
The start. The rest will flow.
02Timeboxing
Okay, you figured out how to get going.
But you haven’t figured out what to get going on.
Fear not.
Timeboxing is here to save you. Create a daily schedule of things you want to do. Set blocks for each task. Focus your efforts on the task assigned to each block. What you’ve done is create directions for your day. You know how to start.
And now you know how to navigate from that start point.
This makes it easier for your brain to accept being productive. Your brain doesn’t have to work to figure out what it needs to be productive on.
With Timeboxing, you significantly lower your chances of getting overwhelmed.
Update your schedule every night before bed. This keeps it fresh and easy to follow.
A weekly schedule will lead to burnout much faster. I learned that the hard way.
03Tune Out the Noise With Meditation
I daydream a lot.
My mind is constantly creating scenarios for me. It’s like Christopher Nolan on steroids. Even when I’m working, I find it difficult to shut the noise.
And there are days when the noise takes over and I lose all traction.
It took eight months of daily meditation, every morning for 15 minutes, to finally achieve calm.
Meditation saved my life.
At first, I focused on achieving calm. This was incorrect. Then I focused on silencing my thoughts. This was incorrect. Then I focused on grounding myself. This was incorrect. Finally, I decided to become a passenger to my thoughts.
I starved them by not giving them attention. By not letting them take root. My brain lost interest and I found peace.
I think of meditation as riding on a bus, watching the world go by. Can’t fixate on what’s not there anymore.
04Walk
Looking for clarity? Stuck on a problem? Struggling to find a way forward?
Go for a walk every day. Put on some music and take in the scenery. Every now and then, ask yourself a question and leave it at that. Don’t search for answers.
This newsletter started because I went for a walk.
My shift to personal branding started because I went for a walk. My YouTube picked up steam and traction because I went for a walk. My pitches to clients improved because I went for a walk. My self-perception improved because I went for a walk.
I never planned to find solutions for any of my problems. My brain found the time to help me become better at what mattered.
These walks gave me the confidence to do things I was absolutely terrified of.
I don’t like being on camera, and yet I have videos that average 2.5k views. I don’t like writing, but my newsletter hit 100+ subs and averages 10k+ impressions. I didn’t know how to sell my services to clients, and now I have multiple long-term relationships.
Walking is a total game-changer and the health benefits are a big bonus.
I average 50 km a week and I can’t get enough.
There you go.
Simple and to the point. Start with these techniques, and then you can work to incorporate more advanced strategies. Do these things for at least 100 days and watch the difference it makes. Time will fly.And you will come out an entirely different person.
