Akismet Spam (725). Unread RSS posts (1537). Technorati, Alexa, and Adsense stats (not a clue). This isn’t a Mastercard commercial. This is an idea of what happens if you stop doing what you normally do for a week.
Adbusters has their TV Turnoff Week; I had a Habit Turnoff Week. Which is why you haven’t seen many, if any, posts from me this past week in the blog or forum. And also why hundreds of blogger’s subscriber counters dropped by one. Oh, the madness.
Over the course of the week I devoted myself to my client’s work. Having not read the minute-by-minute status report on Paris Hilton, let alone the local newspaper, tragedies and useless propaganda didn’t occupy a smidgen of my conscious or subconscious mind.
I was able to focus on a level I never have and seem to have injected my productivity with a heavy dose of steroids. All-natural of course.
There’s a method of training used by many MMA fighters and athletes around the world. It’s called The Tabata Protocol, named after Izumi Tabata, Ph.D. Essentially, Tabata is performing each of your exercises for 20 seconds, with 10 seconds rest in between sets, six to seven times in a row. But you must use as much strength, speed, and intensity as you can for each of those 20 second periods. It is common for people to collapse and vomit at the end of their Tabata routine.
While comparing my recommended “routine” for productivity to Tabata, may seem like a bit of a far stretch, they are much the same. You’re not sitting on a bike talking to your friend next to you, while performing Tabata. You’re continuously working your ass off with no distractions for a set amount of time. The results of doing a Tabata routine for 15 minutes are monstrous compared to the same amount of time on a bike.
The benefits and results of devoting yourself, distraction free, to a project for 5 days can equal what would normally take weeks.
It’s a simple process that much like New Year’s resolutions, requires a bit of willpower. If there’s been a project, milestone, or task that you’ve avoided because of the amount of time you think it may take, give my 5 day routine a try.
Start by eliminating: RSS feeds, Skype or IM chats, Media (television, newspaper, magazines), Video games, Administrative Meetings, Online statistics, Digg and the like, Tasks that can wait a week, Friends that talk a lot, Your cell phone.
It’s not as difficult as it may seem. You sort of forget about those things after a day or two. You’re definitely exhausted at the day’s end, but when you look back on how much you got done it can be unbelievable. If 5 days is too much for you, at least give this a try one day every other week or so. You and your mind will appreciate how much Paris Hilton I’ve helped you dodge, and the enormous tasks you’ve been able to complete.
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