Work Hacks
15 minutes Rule
When you are stuck with a problem in hand for a really long time, any problem, don’t be tempted to look out for help right away. Let’s get some perspective on the problem one last time. Set a 15 min timer to find a solution by writing down answers for these questions.
1. What hasn’t worked? — Problem statement.
2. Why isn’t it working? — Root cause of the problem.
3. How should it actually work? — Write down how you imagined it to be working if there was no such problem — Ideal working scenario.
Now, if you have no clue/hint to find a solution even after 15 mins, it is time to ask for help! Else, if you had found a hint to what might be a solution, do not give up yet, try it out.
This rule will help promote a person’s solution seeking/individual thinking ability and also to reach out for help when it’s definitely necessary to save or optimally utilise work time depending on situation.
20 secs Rule
20 seconds is what it takes to make a decision on being disciplined & committed to your goals on a daily basis — when your goals need daily conscious deliberate practice/effort/work. For example, take this scenario where you have committed yourself to shedding weight which is a long-term goal. This obviously needs daily work which are small chunks of efforts that needs to consciously fit into your day-to-day schedule. Let’s say you have committed yourself to Running every morning for 20 mins just outside your house. So what effort does it take? Just get out of bed, put on your running shoes, open the door, run? Nope. You cannot be more wrong.
What it takes is that, you need sweatshirts and tracks to put on, your mobile with earphones (both sufficiently charged in case you own a wireless pair), running shoes in place and not-so-smelly socks in place and all of this ready. Oh, and most importantly a good night’s sleep.
There it is! This is the friction which your mind tries to resist but eventually fails when your phone alarm beeps you to run every morning. You turn around right back in your bed and forget the activity that you committed to yourself. Committed to yourself — Not forcefully but, consciously and wanting-ly.
Then Why disregard it so cheap when you actually need to be working on it already? Answer, the Friction of doing all those preparatory stuff and feeling lazy upon magnifying the amount of time and effort you will have to put into it, all while still in bed. The process of analysing this friction and going back to sleep takes maximum of 20 secs. And then, Boom, the small chunk of goal is postponed, so is your long-term becoming ever longer.
There are two use cases to the 20 secs rule. It states,
“To break out of bad habits, increase friction in reaching out to the means of performing such bad habits.” — for instance, you can save a good night’s sleep by resisting the temptation to check out social media by locking out your mobile from bedroom every night before sleep.
Likewise,
“In order to accomplish small chunks or units of your long-term goal, break this 20 secs friction by preparing ahead for that small chunk of your goal.”
So with Running, get all your stuff like sweatshirt, tracks, mobile & earphones charged and ready, shoes & socks in place etc., the night before you go to bed. Believe me, It wont take much time when you do it the night before. Remember your childhood? — Arranging your school bag according to the next day’s timetable :).. It gets even better; within a week’s practice you will be naturally pushed to organise all the stuff you will need for routine activities — All right things in right places like bike keys hanging down holder every time you look for it.
Next morning, your mind just can’t trick you anymore into comfy-ing you in bed using friction because, guess what, you consciously broke it last night! Now, Go Run!
