Most people procrastinate on the tasks they need to do because they simply don't know where to start.
So much wasted brain space figuring things out instead of getting things done π¬
These three questions take me seconds to answer but save me hoursπ§΅π
π Write Down What Do I Need To Do To Start?
This could be a micro action like finding the email or opening this doc.
It seems too simple to work.
But when I see a micro-action I think 'oh that's easy' & momentum builds from there.
π Let My Future Self Know What's Next?
Sometimes we have to abandon something mid-task or we're waiting on somebody else to be able to complete it.
Give your future self a leg up by writing down what you should do next.
π Ask Myself What's The Process & Write That Down For My Future Self
To make it SUPER easy on your future self, write down instructions for things you do regularly (or semi-regularly).
You don't even have to THINK, you just have to start.
And before you know it you're done!
Save yourself hours in procrastinated time by taking a few seconds of your time to define:
π what you need to start
π what's next
π write a process checklist
Your future self will be thanking you π
That's a wrap!
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Workflow: How I deal with all the random tasks that come up each day in @tana_inc π
Every day I collect tasks from all sorts of random places:
- Meetings
- Projects
- Random thoughts throughout the day
In @tana_inc it's easy to capture these task from anywhere, any node by adding the tag #task
They all end up in my 'Task Inbox' at the end of the day
Collect Them All In The Task Inbox
1. Create a new field on your daily page supertag called "Clear Task Inbox" 2. Make it hidden (to keep it out of the way till you need it) 3. Create a live search to find any nodes with task that have been created in the last 24 hours.
Today I accidentally stumbled upon a journal entry from Oct 2021 where I wrote:
I've hit a wall, everything feels unbalanced, lost the love of it.
Interestingly I feel a similar thing this October. & just knowing that October is a low-energy month for me changes everything
Rather than making drastic changes because of how I'm feeling in the moment, I'm much more able to ride the wave of low energy, knowing that things get better.
And I might think about adjusting my output next October as a result (I'll certainly be more prepared!)
Without a system to record these random thoughts & feelings, I would be flying blind... which is what I did for years and I gave up on so many creative endeavours as a result.
And it's not even sophisticated - it's certainly not a typical journal.
80% of my creative output comes down to one thing... boring old templates.
Here are my top four that you can steal:
Templates seem so straightforward and kind of a no-brainer, but they will save you HOURS of time and unlock a ninja π₯· level of creativity.
I spent the last year perfecting these four writing templates I use every day π
π¦ TWEET TEMPLATE
Tweets are deceptively simple, but when you get them right it can build your audience & credibility. Get them wrong and no one sees them it's that simple.
Most creators still take notes like they are in Miss Buckman's 6th grade class summarising that book they only half read and wished they had watched the movie instead.
If you want to create your own unique ideas that stand out, here's how you should be taking notes insteadπ
Great creators are great consumers. But they are not summarising every single word they read & hoarding it away for when they *might* need it.
Instead, they are doing these three things:
π Finding the Spark
π Turning Sparks Into Ideas
π Creating Content from those ideas
Find The Spark β‘οΈ
We've all experienced this moment - when the words jump off the page. That's the spark. Pay attention to that moment and then write a note about what resonated with you.
It doesn't have to be an essayβjust a simple sentence to remind you why this sparked.
If you use it right, a Zettelkasten notes library can be the most powerful tool in your creator's toolbox πͺ
But most people completely overcomplicate it.
(including the book itself π¬)
Here are 5 ways to simply takes notes & leverage content from them for years to come π§΅π
Make Notes While You Consume Content π
Look out for ideas that spark you and then put a quick, ugly few words on a page to remind you to come back and think more about this.
It doesn't have to interrupt your 'flow' it's just a signal that you want to think about this further.
Create A Writing Inbox π₯
Put all those ugly notes in an inbox somewhere. And dive into them as often as you can to think, write & formulate your unique ideas.
Not content ideas, but knowledge bites, atomic thoughts that can form the basis for content.