5.6% of a new habit [experiments in effectiveness]
Five days down and eighty-five to go in phase 1 of my ZTD implementiation (that’s the 5.6% bit)! Breaking my day down into the simplest and non-threatening steps possible is working wonders for me. The mental relief of knowing I must complete three and only three tasks, plus getting my inbox to zero over the course of an entire day makes keeping those commitments far easier. In the past I would stare at a list of forty or more tasks that could be done at that point in time. What do I do now?! What do I do next?! It freaked me out and shut me down. I went into full-blown procrastination and avoidance mode.
Making the decision to do a set number of tasks in a given day or at some specific time means I don’t have to worry anymore about what or when I should do something. That decision is made and done with. I can focus on doing those tasks and I am motivated by the feeling and knowledge of crossing at least three tasks of my inventory lists. In all likelihood, that energy will help me cross more off my lists. The chosen tasks and times may not be the perfect ones or even the right ones. That is completely fine by me. It is far better to have a good decision made that may need to change, than none at all.
“The perfect is the enemy of the good.” - Voltaire
Tricking or fooling your mind into keeping calm is the key. This works for breaking down projects into the smallest tasks possible, running a marathon and writing a novel, according to what I have read in books and blogs. As an example, let’s say I start a typical Monday morning with twenty-five tasks that must be completed within two weeks of that Monday.
Using my old methods, I would most likely have two good days where I crank out four tasks per day and three bad days where I eek out one task per day. By Friday evening, that’s 11/25 crossed off my lists. 44% completion, which leads to either not completing all my tasks within two weeks or cramming.
Using my new ZTD methods, I am reasonably comfortable I will cross off three tasks per day at a minimum. By Friday evening, that’s 15/25 crossed of my lists. It’s highly probable I will cross off as many as 20/25. 60% to 80% completion…guaranteeing completion of all tasks within two weeks.
Time will tell what the numbers really look like. I am devising some tracking metrics to compare the size of my inventory to what I get done in a given day to see if a productivity measurement can be derived from the data. That’s more of an academic/numbers geek curiosity than anything.
For now, all I care about is crossing off three more tasks tomorrow. And the next day. And the next day…
Original post here: Terrence
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