How to Reduce Your Workload in 1 Minute

Scenario: "Dude, I have so much stuff to do. I can't do anything about that. Ahh!" Oh, you-betcha-can. How do you do it? Do this:

  1. List out everything you have to do today (or this week/month/year/yadda).
  2. Now, like juiced-up bald ostrich going down that list:
    Spend one minute tackling each task.

That is, start chopping bits of wood on every frickin' tree in the frickin' rain-forest. When you start a task, you immediately reduce your workload -- dramatically. How? You drive your subconscious mind to think: "Hey! I don't have that much work after all. Yay!"

How Starting Rocks Your Mind

If you're a stressed-out entrepreneur, or you're doing some big project, or you're having a plethora of things on your plate, you know how it is:

  1. I'm always stressed out with the amount of work I have. Ahh!
  2. I keep thinking about what I still have to do. Ahh!
  3. I continually think about my projects, but I never do anything about it. Ahh!

Don't fret. It happens to all of us. Yet, to be a true productive badass, we'll let you in on a little secret inspired by our favorite productivity gurus: Chop some frickin' wood.

  1. You have a big software project. Spend one minute drawing the schematics.
  2. You have to design a new restaurant menu. Spend one minute sketching the layout.
  3. You have to brand your new company. Spend one minute listing out your company's top 5 personality traits.
  4. You have to: ___________. Spend one minute doing something about it.

What do you soon experience?

  • Hey, this thing isn't so bad after all!
  • Wow, I thought I would have more work. It's actually pretty simple.
  • Gosh dang it! I should've started earlier.
  • This is actually pretty fun. Wow! I want to do more!

Starting something reduces your perceived workload.

How Starting Makes You More Productive

A rule of thumb to keep handy:

  • Avoiding something: shatters your confidence to do any stuff.
  • Doing something: builds your confidence to do even more stuff.

Doing simple, small things -- like chopping wood, if you will -- builds your "action" momentum. Think of a ferris wheel.

  1. At first, it's pretty frickin' hard to frickin' push it.
  2. But as you push some more, you being to gain traction. The wheel starts moving a little bit faster.
  3. "Hey, this thing is getting easier to push," you tell yourself.
  4. Then, as you push some more, the wheel starts rotating faster and faster -- until you get to a certain point where the wheel moves practically on its own.

Starting work is akin to pushing that ferris wheel. Once you start working on something (anything!), it becomes easier and oh-so-fabulously-easier to do even more stuff. The key, of course: Start something.

Trizoko Tip: Prioritize Your Tasks

Say you just listed 200 things on your to-do list. You start thinking, "By golly, I cannot start all 200 things!" And, you'd be right. Starting all 200 things distracts your attention from what's super-way-more important. Don't start 200 things. Instead, answer these two:

  1. What things on that list do you have to -- just totally -- do?
  2. What things can you totally chillax on for some time -- and still be okay?

Now, you that you have a good idea on what trees to chop: Start chopping like the badass your were meant to be.

Chop some wood.

 

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Posted on February 07

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