TimeSplitters - 10/11/19

I didn’t learn much in high school, but what I did observe was a microcosm of what would eventually spawn into my larger interest in social constructs and social dynamics. Recess or PE for a high school boy was a chance to show where you ranked in terms of speed, strength, agility, and skill.

The locker room is one of the first times in a man’s life where one is left to discover where they stood in the pecking order. Some gained rank by sabotaging others. Others, often only a few, worked hard to make themselves better. Judgment filled the air with both cautious eyes or continuous squawks of intimidation, real or fake.

Whatever the strategy, the goal was to stay on top. Eat or get eaten. Fight back or be destroyed.

As a smaller guy, my mind began to chew on this new scenario and thus began my mission to increase my stats where possible.

I dreamt of impressing my crushes at the sight of my strength and holding my ground amongst the bigger kids at school. I thought of Jet Li, Jackie Chan, and Bruce Lee. Quick and agile in both movement and witty comebacks. 

Without any knowledge of gyms or workout programs, I started with probably the most common zero-equipment exercise. The pushup. I could crank out 10 fairly easily. 20 became a challenge, but I aimed at 30 pushups in a single set as if it would help dodge any humiliation I might face in the future. 

I somehow discovered that the fatigue was easier dealt with every time I reset the count in my head. Instead of counting to 30, in my head I counted to ten three times, resetting to one every time I passed ten. 

My mental pain threshold was tricked into it being a fresh set with fresh muscles and a fresh mind. Riding this belief extended the soft limits I set for myself.

After weeks of casual training during the summer, I was able to crank out 30 pushups and 30 pullups, earning myself a top spot on my high school PE class’s fitness list. It was a surprise to most of the athletes to have a skinny Asian kid beat out the quarterback of the football team, but in his defense, I weighed much less.

When it came to college and my professional life, I would give myself mini-sprints after I clarified my direction, attempting to work non-stop for 15 minutes, 30 minutes, one hour, and working my way up to a rhythm of around three hours, occasionally overclocking to four with a light meal and a constant flow of caffeine. Every 30 minutes, I would earn myself a five-minute break, which I could use or bank and continue working. Seeing how many five minute breaks I could bank was a fun challenge, as I would earn my way toward 15 or 30-minute breaks for a TV show or social media break.

• Tool Tip: Using a web-based browser like Tomato Timer or Toggl Timer is great because they are massive and take up space on your browser where one might otherwise have distractions such as social media.

This system was powerful when my freelance clients needed work done quickly. Once I was able to prove my pace with consistent quality, they usually contacted me again later in the future. This has become my personal brand, which I continue to try to balance each day, as my challenges have become larger in scope and the risks bigger.

However, I’ve learned, whatever the size of the challenge, being burned out doesn’t do anyone any favors.

While speed is essential, it isn’t everything. Speed without a clear direction is wasting valuable energy, as often the product needed to be redone. But if you can achieve speed with a clear vision of your goals, the mini-landmarks you place will guide through the fog and toward your goal. The more of these mini-landmarks you can map out and lay down, the more efficient your journey will be.

I still find myself at moments to be impatient, ready to go, chomping at the bit like a racehorse waiting for the gates to burst open, but learning how to pace oneself in the marathon of life is a habit I must break.

Finding the balance between procrastination and burning out is a lifetime dance. We are constantly balancing things that must be done with things that have not yet been done. Being caught in the riptide of thinking too much about what to do first can lead to paralysis. Breaking things down and reducing a task to very specific little goals and action items is snacking your way towards success.

And who doesn’t like snacks??

While the spirit of my posts revolves around similar themes, here is an example of more tactical strategies I deploy to get even the annoying little chores done.

EXAMPLE:

GOAL: Sell Things I No Longer Need.

BREAKDOWN:

1. Determine and create a list of what needs to be sold. Start in one corner of the room and move clockwise and top-to-bottom. Begin to pull out items. Complete a quarter sector at a time. 

2. Put item that needs to be sold in an area with other items so I will see it constantly and/or bug me.

3. Photograph items. Front, back, side, inside/outside, closeups.

4. List item on marketplace platforms (eBay, OfferUp, 5mile, Craigslist, etc.). Title, make, model, part number, condition, description, etc.

5. Package item. Find sizable box and packaging materials.

6. Ship it! Drive your ass to the post office or UPS Store.

When splitting it up this way, you will find yourself feeling accomplished in completing even one of these steps. Sometimes I’ll allow myself one week to accomplish one step (usually on a weekend), which when you think about it, doesn’t take more than a few minutes. But when stacked up against daily challenges, these steps can easily be forgotten and ignored for years. That feeling of accomplishing even a small step will encourage you to continue accomplishing and the snowball will begin to grow and grow. 

In his book Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity, author Gary Allen writes about his Two-Minute Rule, which is the threshold to determine what things should be done immediately, and which should be tabled for the future. Anything that can be accomplished in two minutes or less should be just cranked out. Whether you are trying to fry an egg or start your own business, feeding yourself these attainable breadcrumbs is a great way to keep eating up specific tasks toward your seemingly monumental goal. 

Then just snack on those mini-bread crumbs until you achieve your goal! Yum!

Fuck yeah, it's Friday!

Photo by Sabri Tuzcu on Unsplash