Take out the trash and get nothing done - An uncommon approach to getting what you want.

Hey, can you please take out the trash?

To avoid negative consequences and future pain, we do.

But the action didn't bring us any closer to our goal. It just preserved a state, like:

• Paying taxes

• Cleaning the dishes

• Doing laundry

We need to do those tasks, no question. But the more space we give them, the less time we have to work on the tasks that actually change something. The things that help us get to the next level, like:

• Learning a new skill

• Writing a book

• Starting a company

It's not always to avoid future pain, why we choose doing those maintenance tasks over growth tasks.

It's because we know how to take out the trash. It's easy and clearly defined. We know how to do it. It's in our comfort zone.

On the other hand, a project we just started, but have no idea how to bring to live. It's hard. We need to fight with the unknown. Cope with our emotions. Figure it out, one step at a time.

That's why we then typically decide to procrastinate by cleaning the house or making our hair, abandoning growth.

How do we make sure, we give growth tasks the place they deserve?

Making Growth The Default

To make growth the default, we need to go through a few stages of transformation.

We need to become the person having clarity about what's most important. Being able to define the one thing, that when done for a long period of time, leads to the changes we want to see.

The person holding the beliefs, having the willpower and habits necessary to make it a reality.

A person

• choosing the most important above anything else

• getting comfortable with good pain. The Ingredient for growth.

• not being easily distracted by the less important

• taking feedback and adjusting when needed

Knowing, that when this does not become a priority, our dream won't become a reality.

That's the identity we need.

Maybe you say to yourself. I can not change.

It's not true.

I've undergone a dozen of transformations, always adjusting for new heights.

You can do it too. 100%

Let's make it happen

Find Clarity

This is the most important.

If you don't know where to go, you can not define the most important task needed to get there.

It's like going to the Airport not knowing your destination. You would land somewhere for sure, but would it be right? Most likely not.

Unfortunately, that's how many people treat life.

They never made the effort to experiment and figure out what was most important to them.

They just opted for a path offered by society.

After years of following it, they figure out that's not what they wanted after all.

So please take this exercise to heart.

There will be times when you get off the path you defined. It's fine. It happened to me too.

Most important here. Don't forget your path. Come back to it as soon as possible.

But how do I now figure out what I want?

Good question!

Let's start with imagining your future in clear detail

Write down your answers to the following:

• What do you do for work?

• Where you do live?

• How do you spend your time?
  

I like to sit down and write down a full day of my future self. What do I do after getting up, when do I get up etc.

If this is hard for you, define the negatives. What you don't want to do? Where do you not want to live? And then start to find the opposite.

It's only when we know what we want or don't want, that we can gain clarity on the things important to us.

It doesn't need to be perfect from the start. Just get moving. Once you are in motion, you can adjust much easier.

The biggest mistake is not starting at all!

The Action Plan

When you have an image of your future. Break it down into steps.

There will be things you won't be able to do from day one. Because you don't have the resources yet to make it happen.

That's not a problem. It's part of the journey. That's what makes it fun.

Like in a video game. Your character improves, and so do the resources you have available.

Figure out the action you can do today, that will bring you to the next level.

Once you have that, turn the into a habit. Do it every day. It's the best way to make it stick.

The maintenance tasks

What is now with all the other tasks we need to do, but which don't bring us forward. Like, taking out the trash, paying taxes etc.

I think about it as follows:

Elimination

There is nothing more powerful than getting rid of a task all together. However, for most of the tasks you won't have that option. If you have, great. Eliminate it.

Automation

If we can not eliminate it, we try to automate it, using a software tools for example.

Delegation

If we can not automate it, we can delegate it and pay someone else to do it for us.

Bulking

If we don't have the resources to pay someone, we can make sure that it doesn't steal all our time, by reducing the time we spend doing it. Start bulking tasks together.

Instead of figuring out what to eat every night, then going out buying the things for it. Plan meals a week before, then go out once and buy everything. Cook one meal with many servings. One cooking session = 4 or more meals.

Doing this has helped me save enormous amounts of time.

With the most important actions being defined. Having eliminated, automated, delighted or bulked the rest.

Let's make sure we track our progress and plan every week based on the new model.

At the end of each week, plan the upcoming one.

Block out the time when you work on your most important task and when you do maintenance work in the next week. Ideally, pick the time when you have the most energy for the high value items.

Building habits and tracking your progress will help you stick with it

Execute

You know what you need to do.

You have a plan that supports you to know what to do when.

You thought about habits and tracking progress to keep the action coming.

Now it's time to execute.

Growth tasks will never be easy, and they should not be. They are here to lead you to new heights, forcing you to leave your comfort zone.

This means, when you sit down to do your growth tasks. Your body will let you know. You will feel it in your chest. Emotions will pull up. You feel anxiety. Everything signalling you: Exit, get out of this, wrong thing to do.

I can tell you, this is completely normal. I felt it at every time, I did something new for the first time.

Whether it was doing a live webinar, writing my first line of code or speaking with strangers.

The most important thing here, when you start to feel like that.

Recognise it for what it is. Know that you need to push through and that those feelings will ultimately subside.

• Make a quick break.

• Take a deep breath.

• Continue.

The first time will be the hardest, getting easier with every time you do it.

Until you reach a point where you start to enjoy the thing fully. By then, you can not even imagine any more how it has been at the beginning.

The most difficult part here. Getting the awareness and not falling victim to the feelings and emotions coming up when you want to do the work. What helped me a lot with creating that awareness.

• Meditation

• Journaling

Reflect

By reflection on our actions, experiences, thoughts and plans.

• We learn to better understand ourselves and the world around us.

• We will be able to fine tune our vision and adjust actions

• We avoid making the same mistakes twice.

Reflect at the end of each day, week, month, year and see how you can improve, if you are making progress and if not, why.

Note, it's not about changing your strategy every week or month.

It's about committing to something and seeing how it goes, collecting enough data on it to see if it really works, and then making adjustments if needed.

Because, as it is with all good things. They take time. Give it time to grow. Don't adjust too fast.

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Have an amazing day!

Best

Tamino