6 Tips to Get Shit Done
I sometimes find myself backed into a corner with this blog – I’m not going to lie. It gets tough to crank out original content, or an original spin on existing manosphere content, every day, five days a week, at a thousand words a pop. It can literally be a grind. I love this blog, and I love every fucking second of being a part of this community. I’ve made some incredible friends and gotten the chance to personally interact with some people that I admire.
For some reason, you guys like my shit and you keep coming back to this blog – this week being a record week for visits, having broken my record for most views in a single day for three days in a row. This blog is an inspiration for me and knowing you guys are here watching (well, sort of) keeps me motivated to stay awesome and never slip back into the bondage of betatude.
That doesn’t mean that it isn’t a completely despicable chore at times. There are nights where I’m so tired that I don’t feel like editing a post, or moving things around for a guest post/great email response post. But I sit down and make myself crank it out. It is something I’ve committed myself to, and so it is something I’m going to do. Regardless. (Those of you to whom I owe guest posts: they’re coming, I promise).
I often feel this way about my job. I love what I do – or the idea of it – but I hate going in to work some days. It gets to be so monotonous, tedious, boring. It’s the same motions every single day.
So how do I find the motivation to write this blog, throw shit at another blog, and work full time while still managing a social life and a crippling minecraft addiction?
6 TIPS FOR GETTING SHIT DONE
- Make a list of everything you need to get done. Make yourself a list of everything that has to be done in a day, and then next to each item write the amount of time it will take you. Start at the top of the list and organize it into longest and shortest. Put a smaller item at the top of the list, knock that shit out, and then tackle the biggest item on the list. The effect will snow ball, and by the time you get to the end you are plowing through shit on your list and feeling great.
- Keep Yourself Accountable. I tape my sales goals to my desk, the wall behind my desk, the wall beside my desk, and anywhere else my eyes may wander in boredom. I am constantly reading that list of sales goals (for the day, week, and month) and comparing it to my current status. I spend a good amount of time each day making sure that I’m on track. It makes me mindful of the clock and forces me to utilize the time I have in the most efficient way.
- Delegate. If at all possible, pass off the smaller tasks to people underneath you. You worry about the big picture and let the people under you hammer out the fine print. If you don’t have underlings, then learn how to use the resources you have to get things done faster. Start automated tasks and let them run while you do other things simultaneous – throw more than one pot on the fire at a time.
- Don’t get overwhelmed. In direct contrast to tip three, try and keep yourself from getting overwhelmed. Just because you should try and automate whatever you can so that you can accomplish more at one time, doesn’t mean you should over burden yourself. Remember, there is a lot of time in every day to get things done.
- Time Yourself. This always works for me. If I’m presenting a product to a customer, or writing a post for a blog, I’m timing myself. I always make sure to have a digital read of the time right in front of me. I glance at it every two or three minutes and mark my progress. Still answering questions at the 5 minute mark. And then I compare my progress to the next time I have to go through that routine. Closing and asking for money at the 6 minute mark – a two minute improvement over last time.
- Schedule Breaks. I take a five minute break every hour and a half. Exactly. You could literally set a clock by my break schedule. The breaks are only 3 to 5 minutes – usually I’ll go to the bathroom or step outside and monitor the site/read emails/respond to some woman’s text. The point of the break isn’t to get me away, or get me to relax. It is to break up the monotony of the day, and it is something I use as a benchmark. It’s my mental egg timer. “1030hrs, all I have to do is make it to 1200hrs.”
That’s it. Those are my six tips for getting shit done even when you don’t have the will.
A couple of honorable mentions that I cut from the list that I always make sure to do: Prepare. I get to work 15 minutes early – not because I like the place (I hate it), but because I want to be ready for my first appointment (usually around 9). Knowing my ass from a hole in the ground will make each appointment run smoother, which means the task will be easier to accomplish. When I go to write a blog post, I set a timer and cut on either Breaking Benjamin or Static-X. I don’t know why, but the consistent, overly simplistic rhythmic styles of those two bands allow me to drown out all the background noise in my head and focus on the task at hand.
Have a small rewards system. I allot myself “jack shit” time where I am allowed to do precisely jack shit but sit on my ass and be completely lazy for an hour at a time. I only let myself have a jack shit hour when I have completed a certain amount of tasks for the day. I get home, make sure I’m caught up on things around the house, I eat, and then I do whatever I need to do for the blog. Whether it’s writing a post or respond to emails or take care of a layout/maintenance/feature issue, I make sure to get it done. Once that’s taken care of, and I’m caught up in the house (dishes, laundry, other shit I may need to do), I give myself a jack shit hour. After that hour, I go back to working on the day’s list.
I’m not sure what reward you could use or what would motivate you specifically, but I know how I work and I know how to get myself motivated. These six things keep me in check and make sure I stay responsible and on point with my life and my goals. I’m not sure they’ll work out for you, but it’s a damn good place to start.
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