Over the last couple days I’ve written close to 5,000 words.
After taking a semi-retirement break for the past four years, during which time I progressively wrote less and less, I began to wonder if I “had it in me” to go back to the old days of cranking out 2,000 words per day (my benchmark).
I put the “doubting Thomas” thought to rest yesterday with the following admonition: “Furey, writing 2,000 words is no different than an email. Mentally pretend you’re writing an email – but keep going and you’ll be fine.”
This process of tricking my mind into thinking of writing as nothing more than email writing – which is really nothing more than writing what you’d be saying out loud – increased my productivity big time.
So I’ve just given you the first of six ways to get more done in less time. Let me spell it out again anyway, along with four other factors that really, really work – and fast. One thing you’re going to find is that none of the ways you’re about the read about are your standard “make a list before bedtime.” Yep, that works too – but it didn’t make the Fure-cat’s list for this round of six because almost everything I’ve written here cannot be found in writing anywhere else:
1. Simplify Whatever You Want to Do Into Smaller “Mental” Chunks – at one time, knocking out 2,000 words of copy per day was easy. But when you’re elbows haven’t had grease on them in a while, you may feel like you’ve lost your touch. If you can reduce whatever you’re doing to nuggets, then it doesn’t feel like you’re eating the whole chicken.
Want to walk three miles but feel lethargic? Then tell yourself you’ll walk a mile – better yet, a minute. Bet you can’t stop after a minute, either, because you’ll quickly lose track of the fact that you said you’d walk for a minute.
2. Follow Your Breath – No matter what you’re doing, you cannot be as effective if you’re holding your breath or taking shallow breaths. Your breath is your power. Remember that. Deep breathing gives you energy, it gives you life, it helps you effortlessly get more done. As you read these words, note how you’re breathing. If shallow, be like a child again and bring your breath down to your lower belly. Doing this completely changes your mood and gives you juice to get more done.
3. Hide Your Gadgets – I know you may think you get more done when you carry your “smart” gadgets around with you – but I’m willing to bet the opposite is true. I can pinpoint the day, time and year in which I became less productive – and believe it or not, it’s when I bought my first “smart” phone. Although I still have one, I’m moving closer to the day I destroy it and refuse to get another. For every minute of increased productivity you think you get from using a “smart” gadget, I’m willing to bet you lose three minutes doing non-essential stupid stuff that contributes almost nothing to making you a happier, healthier and more successful human being.
4. Drop Off Social Media – Yep, I gave social media a whirl – and within a month of using it, I realized it was a gigantic rabbit hole. As someone recently asked, “Where did people suddenly get all their time for social media?” Great question, eh. Currently, I have one Twitter account – and I’ve posted one time in three or four years. I’m on LinkedIn – and I rarely use it more than once a month, and for no longer than a minute or two. I dropped my Facebook account a few months ago, and let me tell you, I feel great about this. Social media stinks. It kills productivity. And anyone who thinks it helps you make moohlah is sadly mistaken. You may make some dough using it, but it’s a far cry from being the best way, the fastest way or the “smartest” way.
5. Stop Eating So Much – Okay, this one will get a few people riled up, and that may be a good thing. But hear me out please – and entertain these words with an open mind.
How much time do you spend each day preparing to eat, eating and getting back to where you were before you ate? A lot, right. If you go out to eat, you drive to a restaurant, sit and wait for food while playing with your “smart” device instead of talking to your friends or family. Then you eat while texting and taking phone calls and seeing the latest on social media sites. Then you drive home. That’s a lot of time, my friend. And if you prepare, cook and eat at home – there’s cleanup afterward.
So what to do? Stop eating completely?
No. Just cut one meal per day out of the picture. Skip breakfast or dinner. Or skip lunch. Or don’t eat after 6 PM. Whatever suits you best. But give yourself an hour to get creative things done instead of eating and PRESTO – you’re going to be in awe of yourself.
6. Use Theatre of the Mind to Wake Up Your Mind – If you’ve ever had a good day, a day in which you got a lot done, having more days like that can and does happen by magic. But not on it’s own. You create your own magic by using the power of self-image psychology; by taking time each day to go review your best days in the Theatre of Your Mind. When you review your best days, a really cool thing happens. You get more of them. And if you emblazon what you want to do today with the energy of your best days, you’ll feel like you’re sliding through life instead of rubbing against sand paper.
Theatre of the Mind is taught in detail in the Zero Resistance Living System – which is currently available for 75% off – and you get 7 superb bonuses when you claim a copy today.
Follow the six ways listed above and you’ll be writing me a “thank you” in short order.
Best,
Matt Furey
P.S. Am I officially out of semi-retirement. Not sure yet – but it appears I’m leaning in that direction.
