The 15-minute rule

“Try hard not to try so hard”

I’ve seen variations of this trick explained elsewhere, so I can’t claim credit for inventing it. But after practicing this myself with great success, I find it worthwhile to re-emphasize here for those who are looking for a jump-start.

There are things you want to get done. Important things, worth doing. But you just don’t have the energy or the discipline to get started. And the hardest part of any task or initiative is starting - this is well-known.

When you are at the gym and in the middle of a workout, you’re not thinking about how much it sucks. You’re too busy doing the work, focused on the moves and riding the momentum you generated once you got started. And after the workout is done - it’s a high way better than any drug. You did it!

When you are writing and in flow state, there’s no more dread or hesitation around sitting down to write. You’re in it, exploring your mind and transposing what you imagine into the right words. And after a productive writing session - you’re enthralled that your ideas have more life than ever before.

When you are cleaning the house, or even at a job you hate getting a specific task done - the thoughts and feelings that categorized these chores and tasks as dreadful and full of suck are no longer there. You are in it, getting it done and in anticipation for the reward of being done (along with any other rewards you may have lined up for yourself for after).

It is never the work itself that presses down on you, causing hesitation and procrastination. It is starting the work. The brief moment where you decide you are going to do something that you know you should do. That’s the hard part that makes your to-dos seem too daunting, intimidating and downright scary. The start.

The best practical way I found to sidestep these paralyzing thoughts is to use the 15-minute rule. It is a mental compromise, a way to trick yourself into starting something. Again, once you start, the hard part is over. The fear and intimidation is gone because now you must focus on the task at-hand.

If there’s something you should get done, make a deal with yourself - a compromise to just do 15 minutes worth of the job. You can even set a timer.

15 minutes is nothing. At the same time, you can get a lot done in that time.

For example in the case of working out, set a 15-minute timer and switch between push-ups, sit-ups, and squats. So, do push-ups until you can’t do anymore, then switch to sit-ups until you can’t do anymore, then squats, then back to push-ups and so on. You will be absolutely spent by the time that timer goes off. Then you’re done, and only 15 minutes of your day was spent.

Same for cleaning - take 15 minutes and just focus on a certain room or area of the house. Same for writing - write a page or a few paragraphs. You get the idea.

The real trick to this is the fact that 9 times out of 10, you will willingly go past the 15-minute mark without even noticing. Even if the timer goes off, I bet you’ll hit the snooze and resume what you were doing. If you do stop after 15, that’s ok too. But in either case you:

• Accomplished something that is 15-minutes (at least) more done than the 0 minutes you almost gave into

• Will get a real nice dopamine/endorphin hit that is way more potent and euphoric than whatever you were going to do instead

• Will be practicing how to breach the starting of something - the hardest part of doing most things - more consistently

• Will be teaching yourself how to operate more efficiently

Try it. Let me know how it goes. Did you go past 15 minutes?

Love to all -

Drew

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Get to work

From Fire & Earth: A ThoughPose Poetry Collection | 2/20/2020

Traded tricks, fixated

Made this, if/then branch sticks -

Yet better than bricks,

Instead of mixed, faded,

Complacent, “sick day, stayed since”,

Lament blame stints,

Say it’s a labor of “trading nicks”,

Favorite lately:

“Been taking daily licks”

Laziness, faked upticks

Played victim, gravely mistaken

“This sucks” schticks…

Exited - stuck. Strayed for kicks

Then affixed.

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“So long, and make it a good day”

“Reputations are not built on what a person intends to do.”

My Grandfather was a news anchor for a local channel back in the day. He used to end every show with a closing thought and the same slogan, “So long, and make it a good day.”

How simple, yet profound and impactful. He was also a writer and a poet. For those who are also writers, you understand the level of detail and effort that goes into finding just the right words to capture an intended meaning, moment and/or emotion.

The subtle choice to say “make it” vs. “have” when suggesting a good day; The simplicity of that line, yet the depth that it carries - it’s brilliant writing. All writers strive to say more with less.

Take a moment to reflect on your recent days as well as the days ahead. How have they been? Are you letting the days happen? Or are you happening to the days?

My Grandfather understood that good days, while some may end up that way by chance, are earned. They’re earned through being honest, well-intentioned and through focused effort. We each have that power, to make life good. Every day when you wake up - and this is especially true for the days you’re not looking forward to, or the days within a tough stretch when things aren’t going well and haven’t been for a while. What are you going to do to make it better?

We all have the same 24 hours. Some choose to let the day pass by. Some choose to dwell and wallow in spite of the new day afforded to them. Some just don’t care to take advantage of the time they have on Earth.

Some people wake up knowing that this day, like every other, is a gift full of opportunities to utilize and wonders to explore.

What kind of day are you going to have today?

So long -

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The Once-Shiny Nickel

From Air & Water: A ThoughtPose Poetry Collection | 4/3/2019

Saved for later
Spent, forgotten

The wish you tossed
The jangle when there's more
The 50/50 chance of luck

The change you need
To make a dollar

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What to do when you don’t know what to do

“Stop being a dick to your future self.”

Feeling stuck? I’ll get straight to the point. This should take you ~20 minutes.

On one piece of paper, make a list of four different lists, one in each corner, with 3-5 items each:

• Types of content you consume most often

• Successful people you admire/follow along with what they do

• Skills you have or would like to have

• Hobbies and other ways you spend free time

Now make one more list in the middle with three columns of:

• Column 1: Potential ways to spend your time that combines items and ideas from at least two of your other lists

• Column 2: How this idea could help others

• Column 3: How this idea could help you (with boredom, purpose, mental health, and/or financially)

It should look something like this:

Download this template as a PDF

It might take some creative energy, but that’s the fun part. Here’s a free template you can use.

Filling this out marks the beginning of your next chapter. If you’re discouraged and you’re not sure what to do with your life, or you at least know that what you’re currently doing isn’t it, then this is what to do.

Don’t put pressure on this exercise, and don’t feel like you need to come up with THE answer right away. Rather, treat this exercise like a puzzle or like a video game with levels to beat. Start with this worksheet and, when you come up with something in the middle section that resonates with you, well then you’ve beaten level 1.

If you chip away at solving this puzzle/beating the game on a consistent basis (especially during those times where you feel stagnant and unsure of what to do), then you not only will have solved boredom or feeling stuck, you may well also have unlocked a career path for yourself and answered the question, “What is my purpose?”

Keep at it. You have something special to contribute to the world that no one else has. You owe it to yourself and to others who may benefit to figure out what that special something is.

For me, word art and sharing these reflections to help others was the thing in the middle of my piece of paper. Identifying and then pursuing this has changed my life.

I look forward to seeing what you come up with!

Love to all -

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Pick a hobby

From Air & Water: A ThoughtPose Poetry Collection | 11/7/2018

Hobby roulette

Not-too obvious intent

I find my goals get lost

Before they’re known,

Nevermind properly set

I’d probably be better off

Sharpening focus instead

But I’m more open-ended

Than closed off, I guess

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Please, stop saying these words…

“Be bound to your word, and speak it profoundly.”

Shoulda / coulda / woulda - knock it off with using these words? Will ya?

It should… wait… It will never be the case that something doesn’t get done, simply because you thought you should or could or would, but then still chose not to. Right?

Alas, as demonstrated above, how easy it is to fall into that trap?

I’ve talked about this before, but of course you won’t be perfect at this, and sometimes the opportunity to correct a shoulda/woulda/coulda will have passed.

But every time you think “I should [insert thing you think you should to]”, just go do the thing. Prioritize it, as your intuition suggests.

A small way to practice this every day is to respond as quickly as possible to everyone that reaches out to you - whether it’s a colleague or an old friend or even someone you don’t like. Whether it’s an email or a text or a call. Pick up. Respond. Be available. This is better than thinking in your head (for hours, sometimes days) that you should get back to that person.

This practice applies to tasks as small as cleaning your room, to goals as large as changing your career. It’s obvious, but still bears repeating that if you practice this on the small things, you will become better at WILLING yourself forward through the big things.

Hope that helps. Now, I shall get back to storyboarding this next project…

Love to all -

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Ways and means

From Fire & Earth: A ThoughPose Poetry Collection | 6/10/2019

I’ve got a dull edge

And a broken hand

Where the handle used to be

You’ve got bad vision,

Holding a sign that sort of

Looks like a bullseye from here

We’ve got a decent shot

Shoddy means,

But an end in sight, it seems

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