I’ve been working on a bunch of (non-43 Folders-related) stuff lately, but I started feeling that hankering to come back and write something new here. To get the engine started, I went through some old posts and turned up a few (oddly self-inspiring) ideas that I want to re-share. The topic? “Getting unstuck.”

• Hack your way out of writer’s block - “Literally. Put five completley random words on a piece of paper. Write five more words. Try a sentence. Could be about anything. A block ends when you start making words on a page.”
• Solve problems by writing a note to yourself - “Seriously, open up your email program, type in your own email address, then choose a brilliant subject line that perfectly encapsulates your particular problem.”
• Do a fast “mind-sweep” - “And as long as you let that stuff accumulate as chunky deposits on the edges of your perception, it’s very unlikely it’ll get done since — well — they won’t get done until they’re been captured and properly started, right?”
• Cringe-Busting your TODO list - “Per cringe item, think honestly about why you’re freaked out about it. Seriously. What’s the hang-up? (Fear of failure? Dreading bad news? Angry you’re already way overdue?)”
• Patching your personal suck - “Every patch that fails teaches you a little something that might come in handy some day. Mistakes, as they say, can be a buddhist gift.”

I guess all I’d add — since it’s on my mind today — is that I’m learning how much it pays to listen whenever you hear yourself mentally whining.  read more »

I thought y’all might be interested in this little tool:

http://dot3labs.com/procrastitracker/

it delivers the most detailed time usage statistics of any such tool yet, all automatic. Allows you to tag anything afterwards for per-project stats and such.

Give it a try and let me know what you think! :)

James Clarke – No Links Please!

Here’s a fun one. Our old pal (and the coiner of “life hacks”), Danny O’Brien, passes along an extreme attention aid that might be regarded as the heir apparent to his wonderful “Webolodeon” script for GreaseMonkey.

No Links Please will do its part to keep you from mindlessly surfing the web:  read more »

Now I’m not suggesting that I am the first one to think of this, just suggesting an effective hack; a tool in my utility belt. Like a good procrastinator, at times I find myself confronted with a daunting list of “to-do’s”.Things add up, and before too long, even the simplest chore ends up on my list, adding to my log jam.

So here’s a hack that I like to call “The Easy Way Out”:  read more »

Hi folks,

time for some shameless self-promotion ;-)
Since I work on a couple of different machines at work and at home, I need a tool that I can have with me at each of those places and that is a bit less dorky than having a stopwatch next to the keyboard.  read more »

How to Unschedule your work and enjoy guilt-free play

Chanpory, over at LifeClever, has a useful piece on what Neil Fiore calls “The Unschedule:”

According to Neil Fiore and 30 years of research, procrastination isn’t the result of laziness. Rather, procrastination is a symptom, a way of coping with deep psychological self-criticism and fear. It’s because we’re taught to believe that working is good and playing is bad. To reverse this unhealthy model, Neil proposes a tool: the Unschedule.

The Unschedule looks like a normal schedule, but with a twist. Instead of scheduling work you have to do, you fill in everything you want to do.

Like a couple of the exercises in Fiore’s book (Oy, vey, who actually keeps a “procrastination diary?”), I think the Unschedule is best seen as a fascinating way to think about thinking.  read more »

the show with zefrank [“pro-cra”]

I’m a late addition to Ze’s army of Sports Racers, but Jesus Heck, is this fella ever talented.

If you have another few minutes (and aren’t already a subscriber), don’t miss “Waves” for a weirdly touching paean to the primacy of the web surfer.

Now: off to consider my Power Move.

I’ve finally gotten around to reading The War of Art by Steven Pressfield. It’d been recommended to me numerous times over the past few years — most recently and publicly by David Allen during our podcast episode about procrastination.

I’ll save a full review of the book for another time (hint: ala, Bird by Bird, it’s a terrific tonic for procrastinating artists), but I can’t think of a better way to welcome 2007 than by sharing this quote, which Pressfield borrows (p.122) from the Scottish mountain climber W. H. Murray:

Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his way.

Happy new year, kids. Start something cool.

43 Folders Podcast

I’m a far from prolific contributor to the personal podcasting scene, but 2006 brought several episodes of the podcast that people seemed to enjoy and that I’m pleased to have made.

If you’re new to 43f’s podcast (subscribe for free) or just want to amble down memory lane with me, here’s my five favorite episodes from this past year. Unexpurgated, unedited and, as ever, featuring candid depictions and the occasional swear; because sometimes productivity talk is just NSFW.  read more »