The Number 1 Way To Get Sh*t Done !
This One Life Hack Will Help You Get Sh*t Done
Do you struggle with wondering if you’re making the right decision at times? Do you flip flop back and forth for a long time in your head, then when it’s crunch time, just go with whatever? Well, you’re not alone and the fix can be very liberating.
“The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” – Lao Tsu. I’m sure this quote, like countless others, has come to your attention a time or two before. You’d probably look at something like this and think it’s a cool saying and probably means some good shit. Then move on. It can’t really be useful nowadays…Besides, I’ve got dinner to get ready and the Jr.s homework isn’t done yet, the laundry’s piling up. No time for rabbit holes now. In actuality, however, this quote stands, with a handful of others, atop a heap of well-meaning catchphrases and slogans that we see on social media all day but don’t take the time to reflect on if they could be of use to me. Some can be put into practice immediately and have a profound effect on you and the people around you. Even thousands of years ago, people seemed to have trouble getting things done that needed to be done. The fact that this quote was penned at all is testament to that. Human nature is designed to sometimes get us to do what’s not in our best interest. Eating that drive thru cheeseburger is obviously not in our best interests (long term at least). Our nature thinks otherwise, though, by giving us all sorts of pleasure from eating it. I won’t get into the reasons why just now, but it’s pretty crafty.
The number one idea I’ve come across is something I like to call Scooby Snacks. (credit Tim Ferris for mentioning these on a podcast. He used the snacks in a different context, but cred nonetheless). If you remember a time before the internet, then you probably know Scooby Doo and his Scooby Snacks. If you’re too young or haven’t had the pleasure to watch the childrens cartoon, I urge you to do so. Briefly, big brown talking cartoon dog Scooby and his friends somehow always seemed to find themselves in some sort of spooky graveyard, a haunted mansion, or some trouble or another. One method the writers gave the show to overcome some sort of obstacle they were facing was by Shaggy (Scoob’s best pal) tossing Scooby a dog treat…a Scooby Snack. I don’t know if these were made of caffeine, cocaine, or some form of Nootropic that was discovered by russian scientists in the 70’s, but whatever it was, Scooby became a superhero and could find the way to get the mission accomplished. It was pretty amazing.
Now how the hell do we get our hands on some of these so I can finish my podcast prep on time, you may be asking. Truth be told, you’ve already got ’em all around you and you probably had one or two already since you got out of bed. These superpower-providing goodies are the small, bite sized items on your to-do list that are easy and take a short time and small effort to check off. Some examples are emptying the dishwasher, checking (and opening) the mail, checking those weeklong emails, taking out the trash, etc. Those are your Scooby Snacks, and here’s how you’re going to use them to your full advantage and get more done daily than ever before.
It all starts with the night before. Shit, even if this is the only takeaway you grab from this, you’ll make big changes. Make a list! What’s that? You’re not a list kinda person? You like to live with no constraints and all the freedom in the world to do what you want when you want? How’s that working for ya so far? Thought so. Give this a try for a week and see how much more freedom you actually gain from this. Now, on top a sheet of old school paper, write Scooby Snacks. This will be Part A. Here you’re going to have your small to medium tasks that, as mentioned, take little effort and can be completed from start to finish. Things like emptying the dishwasher first thing in the morning, doing 10 pushups while the coffee is brewing (read Hack Your Fitness for more on the power of this), take out the trash, file those papers stacked on your desk, the list is endless. Add whatever you might think will work in your life. Get creative. Set some up. Look for things around your home or workplace the day before that you wouldn’t have thought of as a to-do list item, but if it’s quick and easy, grab that sucker and make it your own. We are, after all, looking for check boxes on a list, not to paint the whole house today. One thing you’ll notice, as the days go by, a lot of the cluttering up stuff in your home, work space, and also your mind will have been taken care of and put to bed.
The idea behind this goes way back to what Lao Tzu was saying. The journey’s first, single step. You’re literally polluting your life with as many single steps as you can find. Task began, task complete, task checked off the list. The check off is super important. The visual cue of checking off an item will flood your brain with endorphins and happy hormones which will have a compound effect on the rest of your list.
Of course, you’ll still have to work toward getting the bigger items checked off. These are the must do’s and can’t be overlooked because you were too busy with the smaller things. These will go in the lower half of the page, Part B. Stuff like cleaning the garage, get my tax receipts all in order, research for a new blog post, etc. Scooby Snacks are for those times when, for whatever reason, you can’t do anything toward a Part B item, or for times when you are having a mental block on a problem or things don’t seem to be going your way. Stop, recalibrate, grab yourself a quick Scooby Snack item to do and check it off. Feeling refreshed and a small, but powerful, sense of accomplishment may be all that’s needed to attack that other big project issue head on again.
Some of these Scooby Snacks will end up being part of your daily routine and you actually might look forward to doing them. The mental reinforcement of accomplishing something, even as simple as making your bed, will become a foundational block of your day. This one, simple life hack will ripple effect into all facets of your life.
