A Practical Guide To Getting More Shit Done

“Action Precedes Motivation” - Robert McKain

My to-do list is kicking my ass at the moment. I’ve overwhelmed myself with projects and it is time to recalibrate. Since writing a blog post is one of those items taking up precious space on the list, I thought it would be an excellent opportunity to discuss a few of my favorite time (and stress) tested strategies related to getting more shit done.

One obvious solution that will be notably absent from the conversation is to simply have fewer things on the to do list! Although very effective, I will not be discussing this strategy. This post is aimed at the ambitious among us who find themselves juggling multiple competing priorities that all must be accomplished. Failure is not an option and time is in short supply so let us get to it. 

Strategy #1: Set A Timer

You know what the most used app on my phone is? The countdown timer! I learned this lesson from a music teacher long ago at the tender age of 14 and it has proven to be relevant in almost every context I’ve applied it to since. Decide on an allotted time for a task, set a timer, then as soon as the time is up, move on! It doesn’t matter where you are in the task, simply stop and pick it up the next day. The key point is to show up every day and do the thing, not to spin out for multiple hours on one project that holds up the entire day. 

There is good psychology in this strategy. My house currently needs to be cleaned...badly. The idea of cleaning an entire house can be overwhelming (at least to me) but the idea of cleaning for 20 minutes is very accessible just like the idea of practicing my instrument for 5 minutes. Neither time frame is ideal for either task but the consistency of a little bit every day both chips away at the eventual goal and relieves the psychological burden of not having done the thing. “Make it easy” as James Clear likes to say, not overwhelming.

Strategy #2: Detail the “How” and “When”

This is the most obvious and correctable mistake that everyone, myself included, routinely makes when failing to accomplish their tasks. Take the time the night before to list, prioritize and specifically identify when and how you will accomplish each task. Each task must be given a time and a place otherwise it is simply too nebulous. There is good research and good psychology to support the idea that you will accomplish more stuff when you’ve identified the specifics of how you will accomplish it. 

I won’t beat this idea to death because we’ve all heard it before, but as Ben Franklin once said, “Failing to plan is planning to fail!”. As true now as it ever was. If you let that wave of life sweep you up, it will surely drag you out to sea. 

Strategy #3: The Snowball Effect 

I first heard this idea from financial advice guru Dave Ramsey. His basic idea was that if you pay off your debts with lower balances first, then you can potentially overcome the inertia of those larger debts. Like an insignificant snowball rolling down a hill that eventually builds itself into an avalanche, so to can your to do list become manageable by getting all that knick knack stuff done first. 

So if your to do list is filled with 30 line items and 10 of those take less than 5 minutes to do, then take the next hour and cross off a third of your list. Once again this is psychological more than anything. We need motivation on our side if we are to truly keep it together and stay on track. Get the small stuff out of your way so you can focus on the big stuff. 

Strategy #4: Take Messy Action

There is undoubtedly some portion of your to do list that will take an inordinate amount of calories and mental energy to get done. This is the hard stuff that has been on your list for months because you aren’t totally sure how to approach the task. For this stuff, the quote at the beginning of the post says it all…”Action precedes motivation.” Just take action no matter how messy. If you wait for enough time or enough money or the alignment of some celestial body, you will simply have not done the thing and placed the onus on your future self. 

Currently I’ve been conveniently avoiding working on putting together an online course. I’ve instead chosen to enmesh myself in construction projects. Wielding a saw is far more fun than wielding a computer! But this blog post is a call to action for myself as much as anyone. Take messy action! Just do the damn thing. Perfect action is for suckers and doesn’t really exist. 

Strategy # 5: Pay Yourself First

I have no idea when I first heard this but it was around 10 years ago that I finally stopped sacrificing my health and happiness for a to-do list. Interestingly that was when I started to get more shit done. I don’t know exactly how or why that works out but the fact remains that you are just about the only person who can and should place an exceptionally high priority on your own well being. Nobody can do this for you.

The way to do it, is to determine what makes you happy and make sure those things find their way on your to do list. For me this means I have to spend quality time with my partner, play music and intentionally move my body everyday. 

When I’m sitting down the night before to organize my list for the next day, these are the first things I slot into a specific time frame in my planner. Even further, I have detailed what each will specifically look like in practice. This make sure not only that I will do them but will do them efficiently in the time frame allotted. 

Putting It All Together

In practice this will take the following shape…

Step 1 - Be Specific: 
Sit down the night before and write down all of the things that must be accomplished the next day. Specifically detail when and how you will do these things.

Step 2 - Pay Yourself First: 
Specifically detail when and how you will do the things you need to do to be mentally and physically happy. Write these things on your list first! They won’t necessarily be the first things you do, but they will be the first things you write down so that everything else is slotted around these items. 

Step 3 - Snowball Effect:
Accomplish the easiest things first and get some damn momentum. Once you are in motion it will be infinitely easier to stay in motion...because physics.

Step 4 - Take Messy Action:
Once you have inertia on your side you can begin to tackle the hard stuff. It doesn’t have to be perfect! Just show up everyday and do the damn thing. It will take shape with persistence.

Step 5 - Set A Timer For Everything:
This is the engine behind the efficiency. Focus on the process not the outcome! Once the timer is done simply move on. If you need to adjust the time, then make the adjustment for the following day.

Enough Words!

Now it’s time to take my own advice and put this thing into action! Good luck to us all.