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Clay

I’m a distractible person.  In fact, I sometimes wonder whether I have attention deficit disorder.  Given my distractibility, I’ve long been experimenting with ways to stay on task.  Here’s the best method I’ve found.

The Sand Timer/Notepad Taskmaster

Materials Needed: (1) A lined notepad, (2) a pen, (3) a sand timer, and (4) a music player with headphones.  Note: I use a three-minute sand timer purchased here (aff) for $1.50.

Here’s what to do . . .

1. Put on Headphones
Play music that helps you concentrate.  Headphones help you focus, keeps out other distractions, and reminds others that you are working.  I’ve found that baroque music or even white noise helps, but the Awakened Mind System (aff) from Dr. Jeffrey Thompson has uncanny and magical powers that keep me focused and insightful (I’ve done a lot of experimenting).

2. Start The Sand Timer 
Start the sand timer and flip repeatedly and make sure the sand stays in continual motion.  The constant need to pay attention to the sand timer and keep it in motion forces your awareness into the present, keeps you from getting lost in thought, and prevents other distractions.

3. Write Down Every Task

• Only allow yourself to do written tasks.  If your written task is "clean up desk," you can’t check that new email that just came in or quickly check the NyTimes.com front page.
• If you need to change tasks, cross out your current task and write down the new task.  So if you’re cleaning up your desk and realize you need to email Stephen ASAP about tonight’s meeting, cross out "clean up desk," and write down "email Stephen."
• Once you’re done with a task, cross it out and move on to the next one.  So after I’ve emailed Stephen, I cross out "call Stephen" and write "clean up desk."

Final Note 
The Sand Timer/Notepad Taskmaster is effective for at least four reasons.  First, it forces you to do only one thing at a time.  Second, it forces you to consciously decide on each task before beginning it. (Because task transitioning requires you cross out tasks and write down new ones, you’re forced to become more purposeful about what you do).  Third, the constant need to pay attention to the sand timer and keep it in motion forces your awareness into the present and keeps you from getting lost in thought. Finally, the headphones and music stimulate your mind, filter out external distractions, and let others know you are trying to work.

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[tags]stay on task, focus, avoid distractions, staying productive, manage distractions, time management, Sand Timer/Notepad Taskmaster[/tags]

Hobbyist: A person who pursues an activity in their spare time for pleasure.
-Dictionary.com

Yesterday, six headlines (of 17) appeared in the filtered “top stories” section of the most referenced productivity blog on the Internet. Here they are:

• "Get the Most from Your Rechargeable Batteries [Saving Money]"
• "Five Quick Searches That Turn Firefox’s Address Bar into a Network Command Line [Firefox]"
• "Coolest Cubicle Contest: The Final Showdown and Monster Roundup"
• "How the Kindle Saves You Time (If Not Money) [Ebooks]"
• "Embed Your To-Do List Onto Your Desktop [Lifehacker Book Contest Winner]"
• "IM App Digsby Available to All, Adds More Features [Featured Windows Download]"

These headlines the headlines of a hobbyist publication. Read the rest of this entry »

Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Jonathan Mead of JonathanMead.com.

Boredom

In The 4-Hour Work Week, author Tim Ferriss suggests that the opposite of happiness is boredom and that what really drives our happiness is the ability to find continual excitement.

I’m in agreement with Tim; the opposite of happiness isn’t sadness, depression, anxiety, guilt or anger. These feelings aren’t desirable, but they’re also not the antithesis of happiness. Lack of fulfillment, I believe, is the opposite of happiness.

Many people have conceptually explored the path to happiness and I’m surely not the first to observe the importance of asking the right questions.  Our results are generally good when we positively frame inquiries by asking questions such as "what can I do to make things better?" or "what can I do to improve this situation?"  However, when we negatively frame our thoughts with questions like: "why do bad things always happen to me," or "why am I so unlucky," we only manage to reinforce our negative experiences.

Changing our Goals

Many societally conditionally goals — such as "get out of debt," "buy a new car," and "create a college fund," — can be fine and noble, but they often do not make us come alive.  What would really make your day, I mean, if you could do anything? Think about that for a second.

If you dig deep within to answer this question, I bet your answer might be something a little different than the average idea of a "great day." If you really answer this question from your soul, you’ll discover aspirations that really move you. Here are a few of mine:

• Ski down a killer slope in Park City, Utah
• Take a Tantra class
• Read a great novel for the first time
• Go on a group meditation or retreat
• Play music with others, lose track of time, and get lost in sound

You see, when all our goals revolve around efficiency, money, looks, networking, etc., we lose track of why we wanted these things in the first place. Indeed, we often envision such goals because we want more time and energy to do things that truly excite us and bring deep fulfilling happiness. I challenge you to incorporate goals and aspirations that really excite and move you. Don’t get caught up in mundane, socially acceptable goals. Find out what really inspires you and make a commitment to live your life with a deeper level of satisfaction starting today.

Jonathan is the author of the blog JonathanMead.com, focused on finding Authenticity, Clarity and Balance in all aspects of our lives. His articles include 10 Way to Make Time for the Important and 7 Lessons from the World’s Greatest Minds.

[tags]4-Hour Work Week, 4HWW, continual excitement, goal setting, happiness, opposite of happiness, Tim Ferriss[/tags]

Escape 101, by Dan Clements and Tara Gignac, is as much about boldly creating personal change as it is about escaping our comfort zones. The book is not another over-romanticized travel guide for 20-somethings. It is deeply grounded in reality, was written for everyone from business owners to parents, and provides a step-by-step plan for getting its readers on sabbatical.

Because I enjoyed the e-book so much (it’s also available in print), I’m honored to present this interview with Dan. (Please see this book excerpt and consider joining Dan’s mailing list if you’d like a deeper look). Escape 101 is a book that stands to blow open your reality and show you how to break the rules in all the right ways; I believe this interview provides a taste of that.

Let’s get started . . .

At its core, Escape 101 seems to be more about lifestyle design than anything else.  What are some of the more interestingly designed lives you’ve seen?

I’ve met gold prospectors, people who deliver yachts from island to island, surf instructors, and jungle animal workers. We’ve traveled with people who have been on the road for years, people who’ve climbed Everest, people who worked with the sick, the poor and the homeless, and freelance writers and journalists who interview the rich and famous and travel the globe. Read the rest of this entry »

Note: This article is perhaps my longest, but the principles contained herein stand to be of real help. In this spirit, I’m willing to offer technical support to anyone who needs it. I’ll try to answer as many questions as possible via the comments, but if worse comes to worst I’m willing to offer phone support. I might also try and post a video demonstration/tutorial if there is a need. Just let me know.

Introduction

Goal movies are Steven Covey’s concept of “beginning with the end in mind” on steroids. The essential idea is that images can be used and manipulated to help your subconscious believe you can attain things previously thought impossible.  Getting your subconscious to buy into a goal radically empowers you to materialize the goal in real life. The video to the right is an excellent example of a goal movie that I found just today (click here to see it if you’re reading this from an RSS feed).

This goal movie was created using a free program called Memories on Web. And for $37, MindMovies will show you how to produce similar mini-films (they’ve produced good how-to videos). Much of what I’m about to share with you was learned via my Mind Movies experience, but rather than sending you to the MindMoives website via an affiliate link, I’ll show you how to do it yourself.

Read the rest of this entry »

Welcome to the inaugural edition of a series of tips, links, and reviews related to Lifestyle Design (LD) concepts. This series will cover such topics as:

• How to free up personal time
• Low information diets
• How to live anywhere, work remotely, and virtually manage a business
• How to take mini-retirements without sacrificing your career

Without further ado, here goes… Read the rest of this entry »

It is for us to pray not for tasks equal to our powers, but for powers equal to our tasks, to go forward with a great desire forever beating at the door of our hearts as we travel toward our distant goal.
-Helen Keller

There is an old saying that says, "[i]f you can lift a calf every day, when you become an adult you can lift a cow. But don’t ever stop." This saying can be traced back to the legendary wrestler Milo of Croton, who introduced the “calf” workout in the 6^th 20century B.C.

The Calf Workout

It was said that, as a boy, Milo trained for the Olympics by daily lifting a baby calf above his shoulders and carrying it. As the calf grew, so did Milo. By his teens, Milo was carrying a fully grown bull on his shoulders, and he purportedly entered his first Olympic event carrying a bull across the Olympic track.

Although it is quite possible to lift a newborn calf, and strongmen such as H. Mann have been known to lift full-grown bulls, the story of Milo is questionable. Here’s a story that’s not… Read the rest of this entry »

Editor’s Rating: 7.9

Editor’s Note: This review is a fourth entry in a series of weekly e-book reviews.  The review is a guest post by Thursday Bram of ThursdayBram.com.

David Bohl’s ebook, “Your Life in Balance,” is part one of Bohl’s three-part Slow Down Fast Happiness Trilogy which collectively sells for $37.60.  The book is ideal for those of us who need a details than many self-help gurus seem able to offer up. Beyond describing the sorts of changes that a person might make in order to balance his or her life, Bohl provides exercises as well as questions for readers to ask themselves in order to focus their efforts in the parts of their lives where the most change is necessary.

Bohl left a career that was successful on the surface but was becoming a problem in his life. He was very successful financially by his mid-30s, but he had no time for his family and was mentally exhausted. He took a drastic approach to finding his own life balance — he essentially quit and became a consultant.

Read the rest of this entry »