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Nike’s Just Do It slogan is beyond cliché but I really like that notion. Just doing something implies that it’s simpler than you think. You can stop thinking about it and just do the thing!

I know plenty of people who get stuck and can’t start. I’ve been known to get bogged down myself. It’s an awful place and I’ve been there. Here is a little technique to quell any fear and just begin.

There is something splendid about the process of just starting. No matter how awful it feels or how bad your project is, the process of starting sets things in motion. The act of starting forces your brain into a new state. Your brain transitions into the how can “I make this better” mode instead of the counterproductive anxiety based thinking that can prevent anything from even happening.

When did we become conditioned into being passive consumers? When did we accept that all we can do is buy things and be passive? Stop that and just start.

Been thinking about a new hobby, a new business, a new project? Just freaking start.

Keep this in mind when starting: NOBODY CARES. Nobody cares about your widget or your new project as much as you do. Nobody gives a rats ass about anything. Or rather, that’s a tool to keep in mind to quell the those negative thoughts in your mind that will prevent you from creating or doing.

We tend to overestimate other people’s interest in our stuff. Consider vacation photos. Nobody cares about your vacation photos as much as you do and yet we put on elaborate slideshows thinking people will actually care. To a certain extent they do care, just not as much as you think they do.

Nobody is going to judge you or think badly of you or your creation. If they do let them! They can judge you all they want it doesn’t change the fact that you’ve created something. Also if they’ve never created anything why should you care what they think anyway? If they have created anything they’ll know what that’s all about and probably be super supportive of you.

The point is, don’t get caught up in the minutia of over-thinking and just begin. Begin now.

In Other News:

You can now get updates from this site via email.

Also, our van is for sale. If you’re looking for an awesome van in Australia or know someone who is check this out.

photo of the reflection in a boracay pool

When faced with a personal decision choose the more difficult option because it will actually be easier in the long run. It’s like personal finance. Spending money now is easy but it’s not good for your long term savings. Saving money now is always the more difficult option and yet it is far better in the long run.

For example:

Decision: Should I smoke that crack?! No!
Result: You won’t become a drug addict and you’ll save money on buying crack. (isn’t crack cheap though? hmph)

Decision: Should I wake up earlier and gor for a run before work? Yes.
Result: You’ll be happier and healthier in the long run.

Decision: Should I work instead of playing Angry Birds? Yes.
Result: You’ll accomplish more and spend your time doing things that matter.

I think you get the idea.

It’s pretty easy to get overun by the “shoulds”. I should be doing this or I should be doing that. Don’t let that kind of thinking take over. Be gentle with yourself and if you really want to just sit around watching movies than do that.

Just don’t make a habit of making the easiest choice all the time. The choices you make now become the habits you form and those habits will impact the rest of your life.

A side effect of this line of thinking is that you’ll appreciate the down time, or non productive, or just plain fun stuff more. A ‘treat’ isn’t a treat if you do it all the time. You wouldn’t eat a tub of ice cream every day? So why would you watch 2 hours of TV or movies every night?

Speaking of making decisions. Check out what Julien Smith has to say about making better decisions. Quite handy.

Also, I’m really enjoying writing these posts these days. I hope you’re finding them useful. Also, I’ve fixed up this site a bit but you won’t see it if you’re viewing via RSS. I’ve updated my photography portfolio and disabled comments on this site. I feel the comments just aren’t adding any value and they’re just another inbox for me.

You Know The Feeling
Your head is down, you’re cranking out whatever you’re working on and all of a sudden time disappears and nothing else matters. Everything else is muted and you are just destroying! Well, er, in a good way of course. Everyone has this feeling of getting into the zone or being in a state of flow from time to time. I’ve started to ‘hack’ this artificially get myself into this headspace at will. Here’s how I do it.

Drinks
I’ve noticed that I almost always have some type of drink on the go. And no, I’m not talking alcohol. I gave up that poison years ago. I’m talking about the best espresso you’ve ever tasted at a cafe in Athens. Or the incredible organic coffee from Arbutus Coffee in Vancouver. Whenever I get into this flow state or into this zone there is always a drink involved. I suppose the caffeine induces some type of biochemical or neurological response which makes my feel like I’m in the zone… It could also be that I’m least productive when I don’t have a drink going.

Music or Silence
If there is not complete silence at the ass crack of dawn then I need to have music. Usually ambient or lyric free music is best. For example this week’s Friday Mixtape by Tor is exactly the type of flow inducing music that I love.

Very Early Mornings
I’m talking 4:30 or 5:00AM. When I get a restful sleep I can rock up at this time of day and immediately start cranking it out. For many people, like my most awesome brother, the late night is a better flow time. He and I once tried to work together and this caused huge issues! He works best at night, I work best in the morning. You can’t just start waking up this early on a whim. It takes quite a while to get used to the sheer ridiculosity of this time of day. The best part about this time of day is you can take your dog for a walk and there is near silence. Take your dog to the local cafe and crank out some work before the rest of your timezone is even awake.

Exercise
The best combination is this: some fantastic early morning exercise, a great coffee type drink, and silence or ambient music. If you’re a runner you can parlay your well documented ‘runners high‘ into your flow state. If you can combine all of them in the right order you’ll be a productivity master. Your inbox will be zeroed and you’ll get your most important tasks done before your friends or colleagues are even awake. They’ll wonder how you make it look so easy. It appears as though most high performance people (yeah I just said that, pfft!?) do this.

If you really have trouble finding your flow state use one of the time tracking tools to monitor your productivity. Then take note of your environment. Act accordingly.