How to Prime Your Brain
Set yourself up for success, it makes the journey much easier.
Following the path of this week’s newsletter, the journaling prompt for the weekend is to help us understand how we get primed for projects.
If you haven’t yet, go read the post - Mastering Deep Work: The 90-Minute Secret to Productivity
When trying to get something done, what is the best way to get your head in the game. Alternatively, what’s the best way to completely screw it up? Having the right mindset and intention can make or break your work session or your day altogether.
So, go inward as we create a picture of ‘productive you.’
What gets you pumped?
This isn’t about topics, this is what you do in preparation of productivity. I drink coffee, or exercise, or listen to binaural beats. I have a mess of things I might fire up when I’m about to start working.
Do you have any physical activities or routines you do before you start working? While you’re working? What happens if you don’t get to do them? How about yoga or meditation?
Do you have any things you consume? Maybe you chew gum while working, maybe you medicate, maybe you drink coffee? Are you more productive after eating? If you’re a little hungry?
What does your workspace need to be like to get working? Do you need headphones on? Complete seclusion? Work better remotely?
It’s good to identify your ideal conditions and how you can set things up in advance, or what you can do if anything is ‘out of place’ when getting to work.
How can you ‘get on topic’ in 15 minutes or less, without getting distracted?
Getting moving, any sort of activity will get you producing endorphins and creating dopamine that can help you get focused. If you can find a way to get the blood flowing, that’s a great first step.
Does watching a video get you inspired? Or does it lure you into something mindless? What about podcasts or audiobooks? Think about what you’re doing when you get a creative or productive itch, can you reproduce that?
If you’re creating something, could you go to the platform for which you’re creating? Writing a newsletter then maybe reading or reviewing other newsletters will help. If you’re doing art or creating, maybe Instagram or Pinterest. If you’re writing for work, maybe its reviewing related documentation or meeting notes.
How can you turn that off in 15 minutes? You don’t want to go down the rabbit hole of consuming other people’s thoughts or creations, you just want enough time to get you thinking about YOUR work session, set a timer and honor it. Think on what you might ‘consume’ that can be interrupted easily in 15 minutes.
I find that Blinkist ‘blinks’ are perfect for me, choosing a topic that is related to what I’m about to do and making it to the end of one of the blinks before shutting down. If I hit ‘inspiration point’ in less than 15 minutes then I turn it off and get to work.
What gets you ‘off-topic’ or keeps you unfocused?
If you’re like me, you might have to plan your entire morning around the upcoming working session. If I open up any sort of game, or start browsing an infinite scroll site, it’s a struggle to get interested in working.
What sucks you in, or breaks your flow once you start doing it?
How can you remove that temptation in advance and keep it at bay once you’re started? Can you use it as a reward for getting your work done? Can you dip into it for some dopamine and get back out in a 5-minute break?
Don’t demonize the things that bring you pleasure, don’t feel guilt for indulging in them. Instead, find a way to use them as a reward or as a ‘pick me up’ if you need to get rid of a “boredom wave” in the middle of a project.
Learn and Know your weaknesses or superpowers
If you can be honest and capture what kills your focus and productivity then having that list will be handy when you need a reminder.
Knowing what gets you excited about a project is equally valuable. Keep something on hand that you can easily consume (video short, tiktok, Blinks, quotes, pictures) and use as needed.
My whiteboard doesn’t actually have tasks, it just has quotes to keep me inspired. My desk has a index cards with my ‘to do’ items so I can spot them at a glance. I’ve mixed analog with digital so I don’t have to tab into digital No Man’s Land for a pick me up or reminder.
Find what works for you, have several available for days when one thing isn’t working, then you can bring yourself back to center as needed.