This is yet another moment in my life where I realize I consistently fall back on bad habits and spend my time in ways that do not feel meaningful, fully knowing there are better things I can do with my time to set myself up for success in the long run. I think it’s time I identify my current habits and what methods have helped me in the path.
What’s the problem?
I have a backlog of many things I want to do to progress as a human. The moment I even consider doing one of those things, I feel immense discomfort; a sort of snap. Suddenly, I find myself suppressing that discomfort with something like video games or scrolling. Sometimes even productive procrastination like cleaning or writing a note on self discipline and goal setting.
Getting started is hard
It is! I realize that’s half the battle. If I can survive just 5 minutes of that discomfort, I’m much more likely to get started.
It doesn’t have to be hard
You’re right, part of the battle are these little chunks of friction that add to the “hard” feeling.
| Friction | Solutions |
|---|---|
| It takes time to set up what I want to work on | - Keep your project ready at all times - Streamline the process of getting started |
| I don’t know what to do | - Look at TODO Kanban, there are plenty of high level goals |
| I don’t know where to start, my goals are unclear | - Set specific, measurable, attainable goals. Seriously, WRITE THEM DOWN with every detail |
| My environment makes it hard to focus | - Dedicate a different space specifically for work - Remove distractions like phone or discord - Declutter |
| The task is hard | - Pair it with a reward - Identify the benefits of sticking with the task (If I work 3 hours, that’s 840!) |
| I don’t feel good | - Shower and general hygiene - Self Care: Eat well, hydrate, sleep - Exercise |
| I have high expectations | - Perfection is the killer of progress, failure or rough drafts ARE progress: anything worth doing is worth doing poorly |
| No accountability | - Set deadlines - Ask others to hold you accountable |
What are methods that have worked in the past?
- Pomodoro Technique
- Setting up habit trackers
- Setting earlier deadlines than reasonable which tricks the brain into deeper focus, but comes with the risk of burnout
What are methods that look enticing?
- Non Zero Day link
- No more zero days, basically set a bare minimum goal for every goal to ensure SOME progress
- Be grateful to past self and future self, do things for future self
- Exercise and books
- 7 habits of highly effective people
- Emotional Intelligence
- From good to great
- Thinking fast and slow
- Kinnu
- Writing a daily plan
- Accountability buddies
What habits should I try to work on?
I conveniently listed them here Kanban Idea Dump
How do I write a good plan? (I genuinely don’t know)
I propose the following:
- Start with a brain dump of everything that you’d like to get done, it should be cherry picked from Daily Upkeep or Habits and TODO Kanban
- Make any abstract or undecided tasks like “work on a project” as specific as possible. If unsure, use that task’s time for planning.
- Put these tasks into a task management system. Yes, “plan what project I want to work on” is a valid task.
- Prioritize these using a framework (Eisenhower matrix or ABC).
This is kind of a bad system right now, hopefully it develops with practice.
Getting Started Checklist
Just like a pilot flips a bunch of levers to prime the plane for take off, I think it would be great if I did the same thing.
- Be showered, fed, and hydrated
- Write a detailed plan for the day (How do I write a good plan?)
- Put physical distance between you and distractions (phone, close messaging apps, people)
- Set a deadline
- Get a notepad
- Start some music if needed
- Start a pomodoro timer
- Get started, focus on rough drafts (not perfection), and break down the problem into small ideas
So now what?
It’s probably time to get started now