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As the saying goes, the first step of any journey is always the hardest. Sometimes that journey is wickedly simple, like writing an email, building out a spreadsheet, or making a presentation for a client to hit a sales goal. Yet you put it off, sabotaging your success and just creating a bigger burden for you future self.
Hi, I’m Brandon, BroBible’s publisher. In the new BroBible newsletter, 11 Things You Missed On The Internet, I shared a quick and dirty productivity hack that’s going to help me beat procrastination this year. In short, I’m giving myself a shot clock to get stuff done. I thought I’d share it here on the site just to encourage our regular readers to sign up.
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In the spirit of starting fresh at the beginning of the year, I decided to do a full Marie Kondo-style clean: Whatever doesn’t give me joy or have some sort of purpose must go. I highly recommend it if you feel like your space is becoming a pig sty that gives you flashbacks to a frat house basement.
With a packed schedule over the next few months – work conferences, ski trips, weddings (including my own planning), and more – I knew it was time to get organized. Time flies, and I wanted to be ready for whatever comes my way.
One lesson from this weekend was learning how to motivate myself to tackle the tasks I put off. I hate how good I am at putting off tasks. I know it’s frustrating for other people too. I hate that and I’m trying to change that.
I’m sure I’m not the only person that does this: I like to putz around in a half-assed way thinking about something I want or need to do, yet avoiding the task at hand. My brain falls victim to the classic “the first step is the hardest” dilemma, then I torpedo myself by doing everything except taking that first step.
Simple, Proven Tip to Beat Procrastination and Boost Your Productivity
As a natural procrastinator, I discovered a neat little mental trick that helps me snap out of laziness and get things done. I heard it on a podcast the other week and thought I’d share it with you. I can’t take credit for the originality of this hack, but it’s such a simple one for taking the first step.
Buy a small sand hourglass. Put it within eyesight of your workplace.
Think of something you really need to do.
Get the mental gymnastics that come with putting the task off out of the way. Chuckle at some memes, kill some brain cells on TikTok, find some trail mix in your pantry to graze on.
Then grab the hourglass and flip it when you’re ready to start working. It’s like putting yourself on the clock, which can really help you get in the zone mentally. As soon as you flip, go forth and do whatever it is you need to do.
If half the time runs out and you’re not feeling whatever you’re doing, you can stop and try again later. But if you’re in the zone, keep going!
It’s all about giving yourself a “shot clock” to encourage progress. Personally, it feels more real to me when you do it was an hourglass – something you have to physically make an effort to move – than it does by putting your iPhone timer or Alexa or another digital alarm on. I like the object permanence and symbolism of the hourglass.
Here’s what the hourglass looks like on my desk. Yes, I’m reading Rick Rubin’s book right now. I’ll share more on that later.
via Brandon Wenerd
Of course, I still went on a bit of a binge once I got started, but that’s just how my brain works when I’m focused on a goal. I crave completion more than anything. I’m not very good at baby steps or chipping away at it in little increments. I go all-in once my brain switches to a sort of Jedi flow state. I like sweating it out and then the feeling of accomplishment that comes with it, along with a clean house that’s not an embarrassment to my mother and her mother and the ghost of her mother’s mother.
I went quiet on social media. I barely responded to texts or did anything leisurely, sans an early dinner out a burger joint after building up an appetite from cleaning all day. I was locked in.
Last night, the reward for two days of cleaning came: I got to bask in that sense of accomplishment and a (almost) spotless home base. Victory! It was such an ordinary accomplishment… and it was so glorious.
Give the hourglass tip a try and let me know how it works for you. If you have any other great procrastination hacks or tips, feel free to share them with me via brandon@brobible.com or on my social channels. If they’re clever, maybe I’ll throw them in an upcoming edition of the newsletter?
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Just a reminder, this is an excerpt from our BroBible newsletter, 11 Things You Missed On The Internet. I started writing it a couple weeks ago and, not going to lie, I’m having a blast doing it.
The gist of our newsletter is this: Ever feel like you’re missing out on the coolest stuff online? Look, I get it. Your time is important and the ways we consume media online has changed.
I gotchu. Our newsletter is your no-nonsense, fun-sized digest of BroBible hidden internet gems that you may have missed if you don’t read the site all the time. Think of it like that way too online friend you have that’s always sending you weird memes and videos. It’s me, I’m that friend. From smart tips like the one above to under-the-radar sports stories and exclusive interviews, I pack it all into 11 quick reads, delivered to your inbox three times a week, on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Heck, I even made a Spotify playlist for it. Remember when we used to regularly do playlists here on BroBible? Man, those were the days.
Hit the subscribe in the form below. No fluff, just the good stuff. I’ll try to not be annoying. Just on a quest to make your inbox a little more interesting.