Power nap in the middle of the day when you need it. Make better decisions, be more productive, work longer and better. Your brain deserves a break too!
8 Skills of Highly Unproductive People
How to Build a Strong Morning Routine: The Essential Guide
Working From Home? Here’s How to Defeat Loneliness and Procrastination
23 Micro-Habits for Changing Your Life in 30 Days or Less
34 Quick Tips to Turbo-Charge your Productivity in 2019
41 Things You Should Say “No” to for a Happier 2019
Here’s Exactly How Can You Do Better in 2019 Than You Did in 2018
Completely and Consistently Smash Your Goals with The Limitless Effect
66 Things You Should Say “No” To To Become The Person You Want To Be In Life And Business
3 Ways to Triumph Over Your Couch-Potato Habits
Cover Photo by Lukas Budimaier on Unsplash
“People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing — that’s why we recommend it daily” — Zig Ziglar
Even the best of us procrastinate sometimes. We are not programmed to do things that are hard for us. We’re creatures of habit. Creatures of comfort.
Almost everything we do, we do it to be in a state of comfort. And when we reach a satisfactory level of comfort, we stay there. We procrastinate doing things out of our comfort zone.
I’ve been there. You’ve been there. We’ve all been there.
In the last 9 months or so, I can’t think of a time when I’ve procrastinated.
I pondered how I stopped procrastinating, and it all came down to the 3 things that follow.
I should point out that none of these tips are new. Everyone talks about them. But I’ll share my own experience in hopes to illustrate just how good these tips are.
1. Sunk Cost Bias
This is a powerful one, and really, everyone knows it, but maybe doesn’t recognize it enough.
A sunk cost is a cost that has already been incurred and cannot be recovered.
Think about memberships. A gym membership is a good example.
You know why a yearly membership at anything sucks?
A year is just too long a period for a brain to “remember” the sunk cost. That’s why when you sign up for the gym in January, you stop going one or two months after.
It’s not frequent enough. By paying monthly, you’re always reminded that you are sinking money into the membership, therefore you’re more prone to do it.
I signed up for the gym in January. I went to the priciest gym in Málaga. Truth be told, I couldn’t really afford it. And that’s the point.
I had to do it. I sacrificed spending money on other things so I could afford it. I had to go.
15 days in, I wanted to go. It wasn’t just that I needed to. Now that it’s expired, I miss it. But I’ve built so much momentum that I created a fitness routine for myself that I can do from home.
But think about it though.
Think about things you’ve spent money on vs things you haven’t. Which one were you more motivated to do.
And it doesn’t have to just be money either. Anything that’s high stakes for you. Money is easy since it’s measurable, but basically anything you don’t want to part with should work.
2. Group activities
I’ve seen that almost on a daily basis back at the co-working space I was working from back in Málaga.
I accidentally started a fitness group in January.
I was so motivated in my fitness that I also did 100 pushups after work. That was a friend’s idea, which he had not executed on. But seeing me do it, he shortly joined in on my efforts.
Then people started joining. We grew from 2 “members” to 15 in one month.
And every morning, there was at least one person who didn’t feel like doing it. But then they see 7 other people go. And all of a sudden, they wanted to do it. They weren’t alone. The other’s motivation inspired them to also do it.
You see that effect in any team-based sport.
You see that effect in offices.
You see that everywhere.
A party where you’re alone is a freaking boring party. You just want to leave.
Surround yourself with like-minded people. Be accountable. Accomplish things with other people. Share your victories.
3. Point of no return
One of my favourite, but a harder one to pull off.
I’ll give three quick examples:
Getting a mortgage to buy a house;
Investing in your business or that of someone else; or
Having a baby.
Once you receive your mortgage, it’s go-time. You have to buy the house. The only way you’ll rid of the debt is by selling the house back. That requires a lot of time and effort.
It’s easier to go forward than go backward from there.
That is the key here. Going backward being the harder choice of the two.
If you open up a physical store, you have to buy all the equipment in order to be operational. As soon as you buy, the material depreciates in value. Selling it back comes at a cost you’re likely not willing to pay.
What are some of the points of no return you’ve had in your life?
Did you procrastinate?
Do you ever intentionally create points of no return for yourself?
Conclusion
So I challenge you here.
The next time you have a goal you’d like to accomplish but are prone to procrastinate working towards it, think about these 3 tips.
When planning for executing your goal, answer these questions:
Can you sink money, or something else you care for into the process of achieving your goal? Like a membership for examples.
Can you find a partner or a group of people to do it with?
Can you make it so it’s harder to go backward than to go forward?
If you can do all these 3 things, it’s almost guaranteed you won’t procrastinate.
You can do this!
Thanks for reading! :)
How I Instantly Doubled My Learning Speed Using This Most Simple Trick
How These 23 Key Principles Helped Me Overcome My Challenges and Made Me Unstoppable
Cover Photo by Benjamin Davies on Unsplash
The definitive guide to building lasting momentum
It’s Wednesday morning, 5:00am.
I’m pumped to start working. I did not hit the snooze button, and had no intention to.
For the past few days, I’ve felt it. I felt something was changing. Something positive was building up inside my mind.
The reason I hadn’t written much on that topic in the past few months is not because it was an untrue statement, on the contrary, it’s extremely powerful!
But I had lost it and couldn’t get it back.
Wanna know if you’ve ever felt it — True Momentum?
Have you seen the movie Limitless with Bradley Cooper? To a smaller degree, that’s how True Momentum feels.
But don’t get me wrong, it’s not easy to reach it. In Bradley’s case, he “cheated” with NZT. I’m talking about legit stuff here. Building it yourself. Doing everything you can to build it up.
Before we get into the guide on how to build it for yourself, here’s how I would define True Momentum in practical terms:
True Momentum is when you’re so invested in something that going in the opposite direction has become very difficult. Moving forward happens more easily and at a better pace.
It’s like pushing a boulder down a hill. At first, it goes slowly, but as it goes down the slope, it goes faster and faster, to a point where stopping it becomes much harder. It’s near-unstoppable.
Now that I’ve got True Momentum for the third time, it made me want to revisit the topic. I want to give you a definitive guide on how to build it yourself.
I wasn’t completely right in my first story on the subject back in January. I couldn’t see at the time. But now that I had lost it badly and regained it, I have a better idea of how it works to get it, and I’ll give you as many hands-on tips I can.
In this story, I’ll put other linked stories in-line, but please read the whole story first, then you can revisit the ones that interest you most. It’s better to keep the flow of reading.
Suggested Stories For After:
23 Key Principles For Building True Momentum
I’ll start by saying that doing everything on that list is near-impossible. There’s no one-size-fits-all answer to building True Momentum, it’s a combination of many of the following things, and what works for one person may not for another.
So here’s how I would plan this if I were you:
Read the suggestions below and note those you think you can implement easily, or already have.
Try to implement them for 1 month straight.
At the end of the month, take note of what worked and what didn’t.
Read this guide again, start from 1.
It’s an iterative process, like most things in life. You won’t get it right the first time.
You’ll know it once you’ve reached True Momentum.
The list below is not in any particular order, pick and choose from there.
And take note of this very important thing:
“People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing — that’s why we recommend it daily.” — Zig Ziglar
You have to keep doing the things on this list to have lasting True Momentum. I lost it twice. I’ll lose it again. It’s inevitable. But I’ll do everything I can to keep it as long as I can!
1. Keep or Make Good Habits, Drop The Bad Ones
This is the starting point, and most likely the most important one. Habits are strong. We’re creatures of habits. Good or bad. Keep the good ones. Make new, better ones. Drop the negative or ineffective ones.
Suggested Reading
Books:
The Power of Habits, by Charles Duhigg
Stories:
A Morning Routine Really Does Set You Up For Success — Here’s A 6 Step Process To Create One
Habits Are Indeed Powerful, Don’t Fall Behind On The Good Ones
2. Reading Uplifting Content Before Going To Bed
Don’t let yourself go to bed in a bad mood, or by filling your brain with “crap”. I understand that you need to decompress before going to bed. I completely get that.
But what you do before bed affects how you wake up, and the state of mind you’re going to be in for the first part of the day.
My top recommendation here is to read biographies or self-help books. I find them so uplifting. It’s always nice to hear that even the inspiring people in our lives are just as imperfect as we are, sometimes even more so.
Suggested Reading
Books:
Any biographies. I personally really like Tai Lopez’s book recommendations: https://www.tailopez.com/books.php
31 Stories To Motivate and Inspire You To Work Harder And Build Momentum, by Danny Forest
Stories:
In Need Of Motivation? Try These Simple Tried And True Productivity Tips
3. Listen To Uplifting Music, Podcasts And People
It might seem strange, but my most productive days seem to be when I’m dancing to music on my chair. Great music puts me in flow state. I feel like I can do anything!
In terms of podcasts, nothing gets me more than the Tim Ferriss Show.
For people, I like to listen to people smarter than I around myself. Or TED talks.
Suggested Reading
Stories:
4. Keep Inspiring Quotes Near You
Quotes are insanely powerful. One thing I had realized early on when I started writing was that things people highlighted most in my stories were the quotes I put in them.
And I get it. People far smarter than me have said far smarter things I have.
Reading at least one good quote a day puts you in the right mood. Keep it on your fridge/desk. Let it be in your face as frequently as possible.
The one I kept the longest the last time I had True Momentum was this one:
“It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live.” — Markus Aurelius
Suggested Website
https://addicted2success.com/category/quotes/
Suggested Reading
Stories:
5. Work Out, Even If Just A Little
The best months of my life was when I was doing physical activity. I was feeling great in my body.
I’ve always been a skinny guy, but when I’m working out and seeing even small gains in muscles, I feel incredible.
Whatever your goals are health-wise, be active, measure every little gain, and keep going.
Suggested Reading
Books:
Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Story, By Arnold Schwarzenegger
Stories:
6. Have Monthly Goals And Track Them
New Year resolutions suck. They’re near-impossible to achieve.
Monthly goals, on the other hand, are excellent. Committing to goals for a month is doable, and leads to building great habits. It’s great to experiment and see what works for you, and what doesn’t.
Suggested Tools
Suggested Reading
Stories:
Make Next Month Your Most Productive Month Ever Using This 3 Steps Strategy
7. Make A Clear Task List
I work on at least 4 projects on a daily basis. A lot of people would say this is insane and counter-productive, and they would be mostly right.
I’ve been disorganized and lost many times. I was using simple To Do lists and had a really hard time tracking my progress on the various projects.
A few weeks ago, I started using TeamWeek and my productivity sky-rocketed!
My task list on TeamWeek
TeamWeek is basically a Gantt chart. The colours are different project. You can see a lot of tasks in there. But you’re missing about half of them…
Suggested Tools
Suggested Reading
Books:
Getting Things Done, by David Allen
Stories:
8. Aim Freaking High
Always make your lists bigger than you can chew. We, as humans, like comfort. If we allow ourselves to be comfortable, we end up doing close to nothing.
Make your lists big. But make sure the tasks are small and achievable. I have about 15–20 things to do every day. Most are 10 minute tasks.
If I aim to accomplish 10 tasks. I will. And I will be “satisfied”. Now if I aim to accomplish 20 tasks and complete 15–18 of them, I’ll be pumped. I won’t see time go by and the dopamine rush I’ll get rush for accomplishing so much will strongly contribute to building that True Momentum up.
Suggested Website
Suggested Reading
Stories:
Can You Handle the Obsession Needed to Reach Your Most Insane Goals?
9. Prepare Your Next Day The Night Before
What I’m proposing you here is to simply make a list of things you want to accomplish for the next day a few hours before bed, and then review it shortly before “calling it a night”.
Don’t make it too complex. Just a simple list. It shouldn’t take more than 5 minutes. I usually come up with a list of anywhere between 10–20 things to do.
Here’s what happens when you prepare your next day the night before:
While you sleep, your subconscious is “working on” things you “fed it” before going to bed. When you feed it with things you want to accomplish for the next day, it will “prepare” you for them.
Suggested Reading
Stories:
This 5-Minute Habit Will Make You More Productive And Build Your Momentum
10. Write For Yourself
Writing has been a powerful medium for me to express myself. I never knew I had so much to say, let alone inspire people along the way.
I did it for myself, really.
Yet putting all my thoughts in writing has been a phenomenal way to free my mind and think clearly, ultimately leading to some momentum.
Suggested Website
https://findingtom.com/, by Tom Kuegler
Suggested Reading
Stories:
Should You Write One Story A Day? Here’s What I Learned From The Last Two Months
11. Delegate To People You Trust
This is WAY underrated! I thought people who delegated were lazy. I didn’t get the 4-Hour Workweek the first time I read it.
There was a guy I worked with who was so proud of letting others do the work for him. Turns out he was secretly a genius.
There are so many things I was doing that could easily be done by someone either more qualified, or with more time doing simpler things.
Since I hired my assistant in February, I was able to focus on the things I’m good at, and have increased my productivity up to 10x.
Suggested Reading
Books:
Stories:
12. Have A Semi-Strict Routine
My wife hates my daily schedule/routine. It’s pretty obsessive indeed. But damn it works. The more I stick to it, the more productive I am.
I tweak it every month. Here’s what it looks like for this month:
As you can see, most items in the list are not *that* detailed. I don’t say what I’ll be working on, what my workout is, what I’ll be eating, etc — that changes every day.
Suggested Reading
Stories:
Make Next Month Your Most Productive Month Ever Using This 3 Steps Strategy
13. Don’t Stop When It Hurts
How do you build muscles? You continue when it starts hurting.
And you know what? That’s how you grow in anything in life. No pain no gain.
If you stop when it’s hard, you just wasted valuable energy and will NOT build momentum. Recognize when you’re in a dip, and then get out of it!
Suggested Reading
Books:
The Dip, but Seth Godin
Stories:
When You Think You Are An Impostor, You Are On The Right Track
14. Surround Yourself With Motivated People
Here’s one of my favourite quote of all times:
“You are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with.” — Jim Rohn
This is so true.
I seek mentors. I seek positive people. I seek people who get stuff done.
I can only work from co-working spaces, mostly because of that. This, along with delegating, are the main cause for intense productivity.
Suggested co-working spaces
The Living Room, by Ben Kolp
WeWork, by Adam Neumann and Miguel McKelvey
Suggested Reading
Stories:
15. Walk To Work, and Limit Wasted Time
Walking to work is one of the most “meditative” things you can do. Going in, you can prepare for what’s to come. Going out, you can disconnect from work.
When back home, analyze how you spend your time. We all waste time on “useless” things. And I’m not saying to not watch TV or play video games, but realize that there’s a time when you need it, and a time when it’s a waste.
Suggested Reading
Stories:
Want To Be More Productive? Start This Simple Daily Habit
Analyze How You Spend Your Time, And You will Realize There Is Plenty Of Free Time
16. Constantly Learn New Things
That’s probably what I’ve written the most about, and what contributed the most to the changes in my life.
“The future belongs to those who learn more skills and combine them in creative ways.” ― Robert Greene, Mastery
Everything I’m doing today — my “successes”, my “failures” — it’s all because I had decided I wanted to consciously learn 3 new skills every month back in September 2017.
Suggested Website
Suggested Reading
Books:
Unlimited Memory, by Grandmaster Kevin Horsley
How We Learn, by Benedict Carey
Stories:
How To Learn 108 New Skills In The Next 3 Years
Learn More Skills, For Your Future’s Sake!
Improve Everything In Your Life by Learning 3 New Skills Every Month
17. Learn To Power Nap
Power napping is a skill, and it’s hard to master. I’ve mastered it over the years, and it’s been a key ingredient to my productivity.
We can’t be alert 100% of the time during the day. When my energy levels are low, I power nap. Once. Twice. Three times a day! Who cares.
15 minutes after power napping, I’m back in peak state and accomplish so much more than if I didn’t nap.
Suggested Reading
Stories:
Quick Tip On How To Stay Awake During The Day When Waking Up Really Early
18. Learn To Meditate and Journal
I knew meditation would be hard when I decided to start doing it. But what I didn’t realize was that it’s a skill and it needs practice. I quickly learned that I had the wrong expectations, and that held me back. Meditation is not about “not thinking”, it’s about being aware.
When I started journaling, I had the preconception that it was a dumb idea and that I wouldn’t have anything to say. I could not have been more wrong. On my first journaling session, I wrote for 3 hours without even noticing.
It’s a powerful tool that frees up your mind and aligns your goals together. You become more aware and focused.
Suggested Tools
Suggested Reading
Books:
Willpower Doesn’t Work, by Benjamin P. Hardy
19. Take A Well-Deserved Vacation
It’s hard to brake when your pedal is all the way back. But you know what, sometimes that’s exactly when you need to brake.
You can’t function at peak state when you’re constantly under pressure.
Dare take vacations, you need them!
Suggested Reading
Stories:
Resting Really Is A Crucial Part Of Your Success — Embrace It
20. Don’t Be Alone
I’m an introvert. I like solitude. I’m so drained whenever I’m surrounded by people.
But I need to have people around me once in a while, to share my stories, my experiences, my “successes”, my “failures”, etc. Everyone does.
Everyone needs to be uplifted, and you can’t (easily) do it alone.
Suggested Reading
Stories:
We All Need Someone Who Truly Understands Us
How Many Meaningful Relationships Do You Have, And Why Does It Matter?
21. Meet New People, Attend Events, Do Things Outside Of Work
Meeting new people and doing things outside of work is very important both for your sanity and for making important connections.
I voluntarily go out to seek and talk to people that are now helping with some of my projects. And of course, I help in return!
You gotta have things outside of work. You can’t be all work and no play. Work hard, play hard. Cliché I know, but it’s true.
Suggested Reading
Stories:
22. Do Good, Be Grateful
I don’t know of anyone who has True Momentum and are not doing good. Doing good is so rewarding and gives you such a high.
And when someone does good to you, be grateful. Gratefulness is almost as powerful as doing good yourself.
Suggested Reading
Stories:
I Helped Someone, And I Liked It
Become Happier By Recognizing And Thanking People Who Inspire You
23. Celebrate The Small Wins
If you’re like most of us, you don’t get many big wins in a month. It’s hard to keep our motivation when we don’t win frequently. It’s not by accident that people, including myself, rush to video games — you are constantly being rewarded. That’s also why we’re trying to gamify everything now.
So I say to you, every time a small event happens where it could be considered a “win”, acknowledge it. Take note of it. Have a “success” journal. Here’s an example of things I saved yesterday:
Comments on one my Instagram photos, by Erin Zaikis and Julia Gao Miller
That’s it! These are not big wins, but they totally uplifted me, and is the main reason I’m writing on this topic today!
Suggested Reading
Books:
Reality Is Broken, by Jane McGonigal
Stories:
Conclusion
Here’s what I suggest you do:
Bookmark this, and refer to it regularly.
Here’s a quick recap of ideas to build True Momentum (makes for a good list on your fridge!):
Keep or Make Good Habits, Drop The Bad Ones
Reading Uplifting Content Before Going To Bed
Listen To Uplifting Music, Podcasts And People
Keep Inspiring Quotes Near You
Work Out, Even If Just A Little
Have Monthly Goals And Track Them
Make A Clear Task List
Aim Freaking High
Prepare Your Next Day The Night Before
Write For Yourself
Delegate To People You Trust
Have A Semi-Strict Routine
Don’t Stop When It Hurts
Surround Yourself With Motivated People
Walk To Work, and Limit Wasted Time
Constantly Learn New Things
Learn To Power Nap
Learn To Meditate and Journal
Take A Well-Deserved Vacation
Don’t Be Alone
Meet New People, Attend Events, Do Things Outside Of Work
Do Good, Be Grateful
Celebrate The Small Wins
Be consistent in working towards your goals. Don’t skip. Do. Even when you don’t want to. Every small gain builds your momentum. Momentum makes you unstoppable!
You can do this!
Thanks for reading! :)
3 Alternatives to 10x Your Productivity Almost Instantly
Cover Photo by Raw Pixel on Unsplash
Using a Simple, Yet Scientifically Proven Method
Are you like I was and would LOVE to work on side projects or start a business on the side while still working at your current job?
We all know that is a smarter decision than downright quitting. Trust me, I’ve been there.
You come back from work completely exhausted and can’t conjure the energy to make it happen.
I was like that too. And believe it or not, there are millions of people like us too.
Imagine all the wasted potential.
You could be working on your dream project and make an impact in this world, if only you could find it in you to just start, build some momentum and keep at it.
And it’s so freaking hard. Again, I know, I’ve been there.
But things changed when I changed this aspect of my life:
I became ACCOUNTABLE for the things I’m doing.
In the short span of six months, I was able to accomplish the following:
I learned 18 new skills, including fiction and non-fiction writing, drawing, NGO photography, storytelling, public speaking, day-to-day Spanish conversations, learning to learn, eComm management, and more;
I got involved in more than 7 projects, most of which I’ve started;
I met prolific writers and other personalities;
I gained 7kg of muscles;
I wrote and published 2 books;
I released a video game;
I opened up the world’s first and only story-driven online store;
I diversified my revenue sources, getting paid for 4+ different projects;
I got published by top Medium publications like The Startup;
I contributed to Entrepreneur Magazine, Thought Catalog, and Thrive Global;
I became a top writer in 15 categories on Medium;
and more!
Feeling inspired?
What Does Being Accountable Mean?
In its simplest form, it means you owe “something” to “someone”.
The most powerful “something” are:
Money; and
Results.
The most powerful “someone” are:
People you love; and
People you care about.
Think about your previous attempts at starting something. A side project for example.
Why did you (want to) do it?
Who did you do it for?
Was it necessary?
What/who forced you to do it?
What were the resources associated with doing it (money, people, etc)?
A powerful method to push you to action is what’s called the SUNK COST.
Think of any membership really. An easy example is a gym membership.
If you have a gym in your house or building, how frequently do you actually use it?
Now, if you spent money on your gym membership, are you going more frequently?
Very likely, right?
Back in January, I was in Málaga, Spain, and looked up the most expensive gym. I couldn’t really afford it. If I went there, it meant I had to cut other places I didn’t really want to.
But I decided to go there anyway. Getting up and going there was easy. I “sacrificed much” to have access to that gym. I HAD TO go, otherwise, I would have wasted precious money and time. After it became a habit to go, I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Not working out had actually become harder than working out.
This is KEY: Not doing had become harder than doing!
THAT is the power of being accountable!
3 Ways to Become Accountable
1. Involve a Friend in Your Weekly Planning and Reflection
Average Effectiveness Rating: 2-3x
This is probably the cheapest and easiest option but is the least effective in my opinion.
Here’s how it works:
You find a partner/friend to participate with you. Every week, you meet and exchange on:
Your goals for the week;
What was — and was not — accomplished towards these goals;
How you can do better next week;
What your goals are for the next week; and
How you will accomplish these goals.
This method is less effective because there’s only one other person involved, and therefore you both have to be accountable to even have the meeting.
In day to day craziness, it’s easy to forget to do it or set it aside because of other “priorities”.
If you fail to achieve your goals, you make a fool of yourself to one person only, usually someone who won’t make you feel bad for it anyway.
2. Make Your Goals and Progress Public
Average Effectiveness Rating: 5x+
This is how it all started for me. I did not do it intentionally, but I did it nonetheless.
At the co-working space I was working from in Málaga, everyone knew my goals every month. They were displayed on my screen at all times, I’d talk about them with people, and they’d ask questions about the progress.
But also, I had started writing on Medium back in January. To make my stories more relatable, I often wrote about my goals and how I accomplished them.
By having everything public, I don’t want to look like a fool that’s all talk and no game. I had to show results. Since I was the top #5 writer in Inspiration for a bit, I also had to make sure that my achievements were indeed inspiring.
I strongly encourage you to try this method.
3. Join an Accountability Program
Average Effectiveness Rating: 10x+
An accountability program is a system that puts incentives for you to do things. Some try the gamification approach, some try punishment, some try community, some try the coaching approach, etc.
There’s no right or wrong here. It depends on your personality.
If you’re driven by gratification, the gamification approach may work for you. Some programs give you rewards in the form of digital currencies or goods, discount coupons, or more. You receive them when you accomplish a goal you set for yourself.
If you’re driven by fear of losing something, the punishment method may work for you. Some programs implement it by having you set a goal and putting a “bet” that you’ll accomplish your goal in time. If you don’t, the money is taken from your account and put somewhere else. Basically, it costs you money to not accomplish your goal.
If you’re driven by social recognition, the community method may work for you. Basically, it’s a paid membership to a group where people report weekly goals and activities for every member to see.
The coaching approach is the next level. It’s more similar to the friend/partner approach from above, but is paid and more importantly, gives the person expert feedback, tips and truly pushes the person. Think of it almost like a mentor-mentee relationship.
Conclusion
Not all accountability methods yield the same results, but one thing is for sure:
Being accountable for what you do does dramatically increase your productivity and motivation.
I’d suggest trying all three methods from above to see what works best for you. I included my personal effectiveness ratings above based on my own experience, but I think it’s important to try for yourself.
The important part is that you can start being accountable NOW, at no cost, and with minimal effort. I can’t promise you the results I’ve had for myself, because we’re all different, but I can promise you it will help your productivity and motivation.
So think about this now:
Who can I be accountable with?
Can I make my goals public?
Do I want to join a program?
Which program is right for me?
I’m hoping this reflection will bring clarity to you will push you to try to become accountable for what you’re doing.
You can do this!
Thanks for reading! :)
5 Steps To Fight Procrastination Off
Cover Photo: A WeWork opening in Bangalore by Danny Forest
Follow This Simple Formula For A Better Future
How often do you procrastinate doing things?
Sometimes even the things we want to do, we can’t find the energy to actually do them.
I’d say this is a normal human behaviour. We are not programmed to do things out of our comfort zone.
Our inaction towards our goals is a major factor in us not attaining “success”, however you define the word.
But why do we not execute on the things we want to do?
After all, most of the time, we have a “clear” path to “success”. We know that to reach goal ‘x’, we must do action ‘y’. Yet we don’t do action ‘y’.
The problem is we don’t really know goal ‘x’ and action ‘y’. I mean, we don’t know their details. We don’t go deep enough.
To become a bodybuilder, we must workout at the gym.
Everyone knows that.
I would procrastinate like hell if that was my plan to become a bodybuilder!
The Six-Word Formula For Success
“Think things through, then follow through.” — Eddie Rickenbacker
Think things through, then follow through. Eddie Rickenbacker said it right.
When I first read that, I didn’t immediately get it. I mean, it’s obvious isn’t it?
But here’s the key in my opinion, and experience:
“Think things through”
Go freaking deep in your thinking.
Research every detail on how to reach your goal. Break everything down to the fundamentals.
Craft a solid plan of actionable items to reach your goal. Be precise with quantities and quality. Set a timeline. Make the deadlines hard, but achievable.
Execute consistently. Don’t skip a day. Measure your increments towards your goal. Every actionable item you tick is success towards your goal.
Adjust your plan as you go. It won’t be perfect on first try. Keep researching as you go.
Rinse and repeat.
By having a solid plan of action, you can’t help but follow through. I write a lot about gaining momentum.
We procrastinate because a task seems too hard to achieve. It requires too much energy.
With carefully planned bite-sized actionable items, you are constantly winning.
Each task is so small and achievable that thinking-of-not-doing-it is almost harder than actually doing it.
And by having a timeline, you never want to push anything further. It’s a dreadful domino effect.
I set weekly and monthly goals personally. I never want to carry a goal over to the next month, because that means next month I’ll either have way too much on my plate, or I’ll have to drop other goals I may have.
Teamweek has been my personal tool of choice for the past 2–3 months now. Check it out!
Conclusion
It bears repeating:
“There’s a six-word formula for success: Think things through, then follow through.” — Eddie Rickenbacker
Craft a solid plan, and following through will instantly become easier. The doing is often times the easy part once you have a clear direction of where you’re going.
The more you follow through, the easier it gets. You build momentum and become unstoppable.
Think. Research. Break every down. Plan. Execute, execute, execute. Rinse and Repeat.
You can do this!
Thanks for reading! :)
23 Key Principles For Building True Momentum And Becoming Unstoppable
Cover Photo: Me atop a mountain in Mostar, Bosnia, shortly before building True Momentum for the first time
Lessons Learned From Reaching It 3 Times Now
It’s Wednesday morning, 5:45am.
I’m pumped to start working. I did not hit the snooze button, and had no intention to.
For the past few days, I’ve felt it.
I felt something was changing.
Something positive was building up inside my mind.
And then in MR. Molly Maguire’s story from your yesterday, he mentioned me with a quote I said back in January, when I was right in the middle of the biggest momentum I had ever had:
“True Momentum makes you unstoppable”
The reason I hadn’t written much on that topic in the past few months is not because it was an untrue statement, on the contrary, it’s extremely powerful!
But I had lost it and couldn’t get it back.
Wanna know if you’ve ever felt it — True Momentum?
Have you seen the movie Limitless with Bradley Cooper? To a smaller degree, that’s how True Momentum feels.
But don’t get me wrong, it’s far from being easy to reach it. In Bradley’s case, he “cheated” with NZT. I’m talking about legit stuff here. Building it yourself. Doing everything you can to build it up.
MR. Molly Maguire mentioned he built it, and now he’s got a strong momentum. By chatting with him briefly, I could tell he’s feeling it.
Before we get into the guide on how to build it for yourself, here’s how I would define True Momentum in practical terms:
True Momentum is when you’re so invested in something that going in the opposite direction has become very difficult. Moving forward happens more easily and at a better pace.
It’s like pushing a boulder down a hill. At first, it goes slowly, but as it goes down the slope, it goes faster and faster, to a point where stopping it becomes much harder. It’s near-unstoppable.
Now that I’ve got True Momentum for the third time, it made me want to revisit the topic. I want to give you a definitive guide on how to build it yourself.
I wasn’t completely right in my first story on the subject back in January. I couldn’t see at the time. But now that I had lost it badly and regained it, I have a better idea of how it works to get it, and I’ll give you as many hands-on tips I can.
In this story, I’ll put other linked stories in-line, but please read the whole story first, then you can revisit the ones that interest you most. It’s better to keep the flow of reading.
Suggested Stories For After:
23 Key Principles For Building True Momentum
I’ll start by saying that doing everything on that list is near-impossible. There’s no one-size-fits-all answer to building True Momentum, it’s a combination of many of the following things, and what works for one person may not for another.
So here’s how I would plan this if I were you:
Read the suggestions below and note those you think you can implement easily, or already have.
Try to implement them for 1 month straight.
At the end of the month, take note of what worked and what didn’t.
Read this guide again, start from 1.
You see? It’s an iterative process, like most things in life. You won’t get it right the first time.
You’ll know it once you’ve reached True Momentum. MR. Molly Maguire did have to ask me if he had reached it. He just knew. It’s a strong feeling, and it feels great. And I want you to feel it too.
The list below is not in any particular order, pick and choose from there.
And take note of the very important thing:
“People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing — that’s why we recommend it daily.” — Zig Ziglar
You have to keep doing the things on this list to have lasting True Momentum. I lost it twice. I’ll lose it again. It’s inevitable. But I’ll do everything I can to keep it as long as I can!
1. Keep or Make Good Habits, Drop The Bad Ones
This is the starting point, and most likely the most important one. Habits are strong. We’re creatures of habits. Good or bad. Keep the good ones. Make new, better ones. Drop the negative or ineffective ones.
Suggested Reading
Books:
The Power of Habits, by Charles Duhigg
Stories:
A Morning Routine Really Does Set You Up For Success — Here’s A 6 Step Process To Create One
Habits Are Indeed Powerful, Don’t Fall Behind On The Good Ones
2. Read Uplifting Content Before Going To Bed
Don’t let yourself go to bed in a bad mood, or by filling your brain with “crap”. I understand that you need to decompress before going to bed. I completely get that.
But what you do before bed affects how you wake up, and the state of mind you’re going to be in for the first part of the day.
My top recommendation here is to read biographies or self-help books. I find them so uplifting. It’s always nice to hear that even the inspiring people in our lives are just as imperfect as we are, sometimes even more so.
Suggested Reading
Books:
Any biographies. I personally really like Tai Lopez’s book recommendations: https://www.tailopez.com/books.php
31 Stories To Motivate and Inspire You To Work Harder And Build Momentum, by Danny Forest
Stories:
In Need Of Motivation? Try These Simple Tried And True Productivity Tips
You Are, Or Will Become What you Read
3. Listen To Uplifting Music, Podcasts And People
It might seem strange, but my most productive days seem to be when I’m dancing to music on my chair. Great music puts me in flow state. I feel like I can do anything!
In terms of podcasts, nothing gets me more than the Tim Ferriss Show.
For people, I like to listen to people smarter than I around myself. Or TED talks.
Suggested Reading
Stories:
You Are, Or Will Become What You Listen To
4. Keep Inspiring Quotes Near You
Quotes are insanely powerful. One thing I had realized early on when I started writing was that things people highlighted most in my stories were the quotes I put in them.
And I get it. People far smarter than me have said far smarter things than I have.
Reading at least one good quote a day puts you in the right mood. Keep it on your fridge/desk. Let it be in your face as frequently as possible.
The one I kept the longest the last time I had True Momentum was this one:
“It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live.” — Markus Aurelius
Suggested Website
https://addicted2success.com/category/quotes/
Suggested Reading
Stories:
41 Short And Powerful Quotes To Make You Feel Unstoppable
5. Work Out, Even If Just A Little
The best months of my life was when I was doing physical activity. I was feeling great in my body.
I’ve always been a skinny guy, but when I’m working out and seeing even small gains in muscles, I feel incredible.
Whatever your goals are health-wise, be active, measure every little gain, and keep going.
Suggested Reading
Books:
Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Story, By Arnold Schwarzenegger
Stories:
The Ultimate Daily Excuse-Free 20 Minute Workout Routine
Let’s All Learn This Lesson From Arnold Schwarzenegger
6. Have Monthly Goals And Track Them
New Year resolutions suck. They’re near-impossible to achieve.
Monthly goals, on the other hand, are excellent. Committing to goals for a month is doable, and leads to building great habits. It’s great to experiment and see what works for you, and what doesn’t.
Suggested Tools
Suggested Reading
Stories:
Make Next Month Your Most Productive Month Ever Using This 3 Steps Strategy
What Do You Want To Be Most Proud Of In The Next 3 Months?
7. Make A Clear Task List
I work on at least 4 projects on a daily basis. A lot of people would say this is insane and counter-productive, and they would be mostly right.
I’ve been disorganized and lost many times. I was using simple To Do lists and had a really hard time tracking my progress on the various projects.
A few weeks ago, I started using TeamWeek and my productivity sky-rocketed!
My task list on TeamWeek
TeamWeek is basically a Gantt chart. The colours are different project. You can see a lot of tasks in there. But you’re missing about half of them…
Suggested Tools
Suggested Reading
Books:
Getting Things Done, by David Allen
Stories:
Tried and True: 7 tips on staying motivated and productive
8. Aim Freaking High
Always make your lists bigger than you can chew. We, as humans, like comfort. If we allow ourselves to be comfortable, we end up doing close to nothing.
Make your lists big. But make sure the tasks are small and achievable. I have about 15–20 things to do every day. Most are 10 minute tasks.
If I aim to accomplish 10 tasks. I will. And I will be “satisfied”. Now if I aim to accomplish 20 tasks and complete 15–18 of them, I’ll be pumped. I won’t see time go by and the dopamine rush I’ll get rush for accomplishing so much will strongly contribute to building that True Momentum up.
Suggested Website
Suggested Reading
Stories:
Can You Handle the Obsession Needed to Reach Your Most Insane Goals?
9. Prepare Your Next Day The Night Before
What I’m proposing you here is to simply make a list of things you want to accomplish for the next day a few hours before bed, and then review it shortly before “calling it a night”.
Don’t make it too complex. Just a simple list. It shouldn’t take more than 5 minutes. I usually come up with a list of anywhere between 10–20 things to do.
Here’s what happens when you prepare your next day the night before:
While you sleep, your subconscious is “working on” things you “fed it” before going to bed. When you feed it with things you want to accomplish for the next day, it will “prepare” you for them.
Suggested Reading
Stories:
This 5-Minute Habit Will Make You More Productive And Build Your Momentum
10. Write For Yourself
Writing has been a powerful medium for me to express myself. I never knew I had so much to say, let alone inspire people along the way.
I did it for myself, really.
Yet putting all my thoughts in writing has been a phenomenal way to free my mind and think clearly, ultimately leading to some momentum.
Suggested Website
https://findingtom.com/, by Tom Kuegler
Suggested Reading
Stories:
Should You Write One Story A Day? Here’s What I Learned From The Last Two Months
11. Delegate To People You Trust
This is WAY underrated! I thought people who delegated were lazy. I didn’t get the 4-Hour Workweek the first time I read it.
There was a guy I worked with who was so proud of letting others do the work for him. Turns out he was secretly a genius.
There are so many things I was doing that could easily be done by someone either more qualified, or with more time doing simpler things.
Since I hired my assistant in February, I was able to focus on the things I’m good at, and have increased my productivity up to 10x.
Suggested Reading
Books:
Stories:
How To Accomplish Your Goals 10x Faster And Better
12. Have A Semi-Strict Routine
My wife hates my daily schedule/routine. It’s pretty obsessive indeed. But damn it works. The more I stick to it, the more productive I am.
I tweak it every month. Here’s what it looks like for this month:
As you can see, most items in the list are not *that* detailed. I don’t say what I’ll be working on, what my workout is, what I’ll be eating, etc — that changes every day.
Suggested Reading
Stories:
Make Next Month Your Most Productive Month Ever Using This 3 Steps Strategy
13. Don’t Stop When It Hurts
How do you build muscles? You continue when it starts hurting.
And you know what? That’s how you grow in anything in life. No pain no gain.
If you stop when it’s hard, you just wasted valuable energy and will NOT build momentum. Recognize when you’re in a dip, and then get out of it!
Suggested Reading
Books:
The Dip, but Seth Godin
Stories:
When You Think You Are An Impostor, You Are On The Right Track
It’s Your Fault If You “Fail”, And How To Grow From That
14. Surround Yourself With Motivated People
Here’s one of my favourite quote of all times:
“You are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with.” — Jim Rohn
This is so true.
I seek mentors. I seek positive people. I seek people who get stuff done.
I can only work from co-working spaces, mostly because of that. This, along with delegating, are the main cause for intense productivity.
Suggested co-working spaces
The Living Room, by Ben Kolp
AngkorHUB, by Jeff Laflamme, AngkorHUB
ProjectSpaces, by Jeffrey Howard
WeWork, by Adam Neumann and Miguel McKelvey
Suggested Reading
Stories:
You Want To Achieve More? Be In The Right Room
15. Walk To Work, and Limit Wasted Time
Walking to work is one of the most “meditative” things you can do. Going in, you can prepare for what’s to come. Going out, you can disconnect from work.
When back home, analyze how you spend your time. We all waste time on “useless” things. And I’m not saying to not watch TV or play video games, but realize that there’s a time when you need it, and a time when it’s a waste.
Suggested Reading
Stories:
Want To Be More Productive? Start This Simple Daily Habit
Analyze How You Spend Your Time, And You will Realize There Is Plenty Of Free Time
16. Constantly Learn New Things
That’s probably what I’ve written the most about, and what contributed the most to the changes in my life.
“The future belongs to those who learn more skills and combine them in creative ways.” ― Robert Greene, Mastery
Everything I’m doing today — my “successes”, my “failures” — it’s all because I had decided I wanted to consciously learn 3 new skills every month back in September 2017.
Suggested Website
Suggested Reading
Books:
Unlimited Memory, by Grandmaster Kevin Horsley
How We Learn, by Benedict Carey
Stories:
How To Learn 108 New Skills In The Next 3 Years
Learn More Skills, For Your Future’s Sake!
Improve Everything In Your Life by Learning 3 New Skills Every Month
17. Learn To Power Nap
Power napping is a skill, and it’s hard to master. I’ve mastered it over the years, and it’s been a key ingredient to my productivity.
We can’t be alert 100% of the time during the day. When my energy levels are low, I power nap. Once. Twice. Three times a day! Who cares.
15 minutes after power napping, I’m back in peak state and accomplish so much more than if I didn’t nap.
Suggested Reading
Stories:
Quick Tip On How To Stay Awake During The Day When Waking Up Really Early
Pro Tips For Power Napping Like A King
18. Learn To Meditate and Journal
I knew meditation would be hard when I decided to start doing it. But what I didn’t realize was that it’s a skill and it needs practice. I quickly learned that I had the wrong expectations, and that held me back. Meditation is not about “not thinking”, it’s about being aware.
When I started journaling, I had the preconception that it was a dumb idea and that I wouldn’t have anything to say. I could not have been more wrong. On my first journaling session, I wrote for 3 hours without even noticing.
It’s a powerful tool that frees up your mind and aligns your goals together. You become more aware and focused.
Suggested Tools
Benjamin P. Hardy’s Journaling Course
Suggested Reading
Books:
Willpower Doesn’t Work, by Benjamin P. Hardy
19. Take A Well-Deserved Vacation
It’s hard to brake when your pedal is all the way back. But you know what, sometimes that’s exactly when you need to brake.
You can’t function at peak state when you’re constantly under pressure.
Dare take vacations, you need them!
Suggested Reading
Stories:
Resting Really Is A Crucial Part Of Your Success — Embrace It
20. Don’t Be Alone
I’m an introvert. I like solitude. I’m so drained whenever I’m surrounded by people.
But I need to have people around me once in a while, to share my stories, my experiences, my “successes”, my “failures”, etc. Everyone does.
Everyone needs to be uplifted, and you can’t (easily) do it alone.
Suggested Reading
Stories:
We All Need Someone Who Truly Understands Us
How Many Meaningful Relationships Do You Have, And Why Does It Matter?
You Want To Achieve More? Be In The Right Room
21. Meet New People, Attend Events, Do Things Outside Of Work
Meeting new people and doing things outside of work is very important both for your sanity and for making important connections.
I voluntarily go out to seek and talk to people that are now helping with some of my projects. And of course, I help in return!
You gotta have things outside of work. You can’t be all work and no play. Work hard, play hard. Cliché I know, but it’s true.
Suggested Reading
Stories:
You Are, Or Will Become, your Environment
Do Talk To Strangers And Get Inspired By Their Stories
22. Do Good, Be Grateful
I don’t know of anyone who has True Momentum and are not doing good. Doing good is so rewarding and gives you such a high.
And when someone does good to you, be grateful. Gratefulness is almost as powerful as doing good yourself.
Suggested Reading
Stories:
I Helped Someone, And I Liked It
Become Happier By Recognizing And Thanking People Who Inspire You
Be Aware Of All The Greatness Around You
23. Celebrate The Small Wins
If you’re like most of us, you don’t get many big wins in a month. It’s hard to keep our motivation when we don’t win frequently. It’s not by accident that people, including myself, rush to video games — you are constantly being rewarded. That’s also why we’re trying to gamify everything now.
So I say to you, every time a small event happens where it could be considered a “win”, acknowledge it. Take note of it. Have a “success” journal. Here’s an example of things I saved yesterday:
Quote from MR. Molly Maguire
Comments on one my Instagram photos, by Erin Zaikis and Julia Gao Miller
That’s it! These are not big wins, but they totally uplifted me, and is the main reason I’m writing on this topic today!
Suggested Reading
Books:
Reality Is Broken, by Jane McGonigal
Stories:
Conclusion
That is by far the longest, but the most insightful article I have written yet! I certainly don’t expect you that have read all that in one go.
Here’s what I suggest you do:
Bookmark this, and refer to it regularly.
Here’s a quick recap of ideas to build True Momentum (makes for a good list on your fridge!):
Keep or Make Good Habits, Drop The Bad Ones
Reading Uplifting Content Before Going To Bed
Listen To Uplifting Music, Podcasts And People
Keep Inspiring Quotes Near You
Work Out, Even If Just A Little
Have Monthly Goals And Track Them
Make A Clear Task List
Aim Freaking High
Prepare Your Next Day The Night Before
Write For Yourself
Delegate To People You Trust
Have A Semi-Strict Routine
Don’t Stop When It Hurts
Surround Yourself With Motivated People
Walk To Work, and Limit Wasted Time
Constantly Learn New Things
Learn To Power Nap
Learn To Meditate and Journal
Take A Well-Deserved Vacation
Don’t Be Alone
Meet New People, Attend Events, Do Things Outside Of Work
Do Good, Be Grateful
Celebrate The Small Wins
Be consistent in working towards your goals. Don’t skip. Do. Even when you don’t want to. Every small gain builds your momentum. Momentum makes you unstoppable!
You can do this!
Thanks for reading! :)
Achieve Much More By Uplifting Your Life Continually — 6 Practical Tips On How To Successfully Do It
How To Learn 108 New Skills In The Next 3 Years
Make Next Month Your Most Productive Month Ever Using This 3 Steps Strategy
Cover Photo by @brookelark on Unsplash
April is just around the corner. I’m personally really excited for it!
Are you?
I like beginnings of new months. It’s like a chance to start anew. To try and accomplish more than the month before. To become a better person for yourself and those around.
In the first week alone, I’m releasing my new book, my game and opening up my online store.
How could I not be excited for that! I could stop there and it would already be a productive month.
But I won’t!
Using the strategy below, I’ll make April one of the most productive month of my life.
And you can do the same!
The Strategy
One quote summarizes the strategy pretty well:
“Think things through, then follow through.” — Eddie Rickenbacker
Here’s the strategy in greater detail:
Step 1: Review The Previous Month’s Accomplishments
How did you do last month?
What did you accomplish towards your goals?
Most people don’t reflect on past accomplishments or “failures”, yet it’s through understanding these experiences that we learn and grow. It’s an important thing to do to become more productive: realize where you’re productive and where you’re not.
List your accomplishments and “failures”. Go down to the details.
Qualify and quantify them. Was it a great accomplishment? Was it an epic failure? Giving them a rating of your choosing in numeric value. 0–10 works fine for me.
Write down how you can improve on each of them. Write down what went right and what went wrong.
Take your time doing it too. There’s no point rushing this. If it takes 4 hours to do it, it will be worth it in the end, trust me.
Step 2: List All Your Goals For The Month A Few Days Before It Starts
Just 30 minutes ago I went to a quiet room and started thinking about all the goals I wanted to accomplish for April. As usual, I went a little crazy, but as I always say: “Aim freaking high!”. I tend to accomplish about 80% of the goals I set out to do. If I didn’t aim so high, I would accomplish much less.
Here’s my unedited list of goals for April (I’ll add more details in other pages of my journal in the next few days):
My list of goals for April. Don’t mind the chips stains and the terrible writing…
Any of these goals sound crazy to you?
Any sound too easy?
Do you have similar goals?
What are your goals?
Ideally, you would be a little more precise than that. This is just a draft. I’ll add the juicy details later, but it’s a good first pass.
In the list, I usually include the 3 new skills I want to learn, things I want to release, ways I’ll make money (and how much), events I want to attend, things I want to continue or start doing and more.
Again, like the step above, don’t rush this. I usually spend 4–8 hours planning my next month. The details take time.
Usually, for every point on my goal list, there are between 3–10 sub-points. Go into as much detail as you can, it will make it easier for you to track your progress.
Step 3: Track Your Progress Regularly During The Month
It’s simple. Review the progress on your goals on a weekly basis. Set aside 1 or 2 hours on your last work-day of the week to go through your list again.
This is similar to the first step of the process, but on a more present moment. Check the things you’ve done. Analyze their “success”, and course-correct — that is the main reason to track your progress weekly.
If you don’t track your progress regularly, you will side-track from your goals.
Inevitably.
Sometimes we feel we’re too busy to take a step back, but trust me, it’s more productive to do so and make a better plan of action for the week to come.
Conclusion
Do you follow a similar strategy to make your months productive?
Do you think you could make this work for yourself?
Do you have a better strategy? If so, what’s your strategy? Why is it better?
Feel free to share your answer(s) in the comments section. I respond to them!
Think things through, then follow through. Six words. Remember them.
Review your previous month, plan for the next and track your progress regularly. It’s a simple strategy anyone can do, and it will make you that much more productive.
You can do this!
Thanks for reading! :)
Running A Company Remotely Is Possible But Not Easy — Here Are Some Tips To Make It Easier
Cover Photo by @headwayio on Unsplash
If you have tried it before, you know there are many obstacles to making remote work “feasible”: timezone differences, communication issues, spotty wifi, lack of proper schedule, environment distractions and more.
I have been running Power Level Studios “remotely” since it started having collaborators over a year ago. I say remotely in double-quotes because initially, it was all remote within the same city. Everyone worked from their own homes in Toronto.
Then in June of last year, I left Toronto to work from other places around the world, making me completely remote.
During that time, I grew the company from 4 people to 8.
As far as I know, we have not had any problems with me being away and still “running the show”.
So let’s address some of the problems associated with running a company remotely:
Communication Issues
This is likely the biggest issue of them all.
It’s already hard to have an effective communication system in place when everyone works from the same office, so of course it even harder when you can’t have face to face conversations.
At Power Level Studios, we have a simple but efficient system that has worked really well for us.
Have Everyone Remote
I have worked remotely for a company where pretty much everyone worked from the same office.
I was left out frequently. And it’s not that I wasn’t an important part of the team, it’s just that when everyone else is there, sometimes you just forget the “exception”.
And that sucked. I know I could have been way more productive if I felt like I was really part of the team.
By having everyone remote, everyone is on the same page. There aren’t many different ways to communicate. Everyone uses the same tool.
One of the previous companies I worked for removed their office and started working remotely. That didn’t stop them from making and releasing the successful Halcyon 6 game.
In Power Level Studio’s case, we’re releasing Soul Reaper: Unreap Commander on April 3rd. The game was built from December 2017 to March 2018.
Limit The Need To Communicate Verbally
We never communicate verbally at Power Level Studios. I don’t remember the last time it happened.
In fact, we rarely communicate at all. It’s all about our streamlined process.
We use the Kanban approach.
We have a series of steps a task needs to go through. When the person working on the task is done with the step, they move the card to the next step, where the next person in charge of the task will automatically be notified. In review steps, if it passes, the card moves forward, if it fails, it goes backward, where the person responsible for the work will automatically be notified.
It’s all about the automation and having a clear indicator of who needs to do what when.
Be Fully Transparent
With the Kanban approach mentioned above, we have different boards depending on the type of work. We have boards for Art, Design, Admin, Programming, etc.
Every board is public to everyone at the company.
I’ve got nothing to hide.
Everyone can see what I’m working on at any point. That is very important. People working with me need to know that I’m not just barking orders from the beach working on my sun-tan.
Trust Your Team
I rarely make decisions. I’m not sure if that throws my team off or not, but that’s my management style. I like to have everyone’s input on aspects I trust them on. I would not ask an artists’ opinion on programming, but I will definitely ask them about monster and loot design.
Everyone can submit their design ideas and we collaborate on it. I rarely get the ideas all by myself. We vote on design ideas, names of monsters, etc.
If my artist tells me A is better than B, I rarely argue. They’re the expert.
By trusting everyone, I know they trust and respect me more in return. They know we’re working towards the same goals.
Environment Issues
Spotty wifi, distractions, hard to follow schedule, loneliness — we’ve all been there. How do we overcome those things?
It’s all about making your environment productive and removing anything that goes against it.
Removing Distractions
I hate working from home. I’m way too distracted. I have games, books, and no one to judge me if I’m not working.
When I was working from home in Toronto, I would put console cables places where it would be so much work for me to get that I wouldn’t do the effort to get it.
In my apartment in Toronto, we didn’t even buy furniture, except for a mattress and the desk to work from. The place really was only good for working and sleeping.
Whatever it is you find distracts you while you work, change your environment so that it’s harder to distract yourself as opposed to doing your productive activities.
If your distraction is in your physical location, hide stuff, or better yet, make someone else hide it.
If your distraction is on your computer, use software that blocks access to apps and websites during certain hours. Have someone you trust lock the schedule behind a password so you can’t easily disable it.
Finding Good Wifi
Depending on where you are in the world, wifi can be an issue. Especially public wifi.
I’ll give you my favourite trick straight up: co-working spaces.
I’ve never been to a co-working space (yet) that doesn’t have usable wifi. I’ve seen anywhere from 10 mbps (slow but usable) to 1,000mbps (very fast).
Check using speedtest.net.
Never trust your Airbnb host or hostels to tell you their wifi is fast. It rarely is. Below 5mbps for me is hardly usable. In some countries, they call that fast. My 4G/LTE is 3x faster than that.
Fighting Loneliness
Building on the co-working space idea from above, having other hard-working people around you is extremely motivating.
I’m not exaggerating when I say I’m 10x more productive when I work from a co-working space.
It’s always nice to meet other people who work on their own crazy ideas. Entrepreneurs care so much about what they do that it’s contagious. You want to work harder and share your ideas with the others around.
You build great personal and professional relationships just from being there. I even made myself a business partner by working at The Living Room in Spain.
Keeping A Schedule
This is key to build momentum. I’ve written about this extensively in the past.
By working remotely, it’s hard to stick to a schedule because you don’t have office hours.
But to be honest, I don’t like office hours. Not everyone works great from 9–5. In fact, I don’t think anyone at Power Level Studios work from 9–5.
I start my day at 4am, but start my actual work at 9am. I take two naps during the day, usually around 8:30am and 2:30pm. I’m always super tired in the afternoon. I don’t work well unless I do a power nap. I try to reply to my messages only between 1:30 and 2:30, after lunch. I then finish work around 7pm.
I’m much better at sticking to this schedule when I’m at the co-working space. I know no one is monitoring me, but I need to feel like someone could judge me for not following my schedule.
Conclusion
Running a company remotely is possible but not easy.
I’ve been doing it long enough now and have found strategies that work for my video game company, but I know could work for other types of businesses.
Having everyone remote and limiting the need to communicate makes project management more efficient. Be transparent and trust your team. Apply these principles and communication will not be an issue.
Remove distractions, find good wifi, fight loneliness and keep a schedule.
Make your environment work for you.
You can do this!
Let me know what you tried that worked or didn’t work for you in the comments below.
Thanks for reading! :)