This is going to be another short post… the minimaxer is handling some unusual stuff outside of the minimax universe of playing minimalist games to be creative and productive with stuff so we maximize our stuff. That’s all fun and good. But sometimes life jumps in middle of the fun and makes you pay attention to other stuff!
That’s where we left off on the last post… getting back into the swing of things with our system and making sure it supports our consistent behavior – to develop our minimax super power! It’s not easy being consistent, but it is rewarding. And there are some tricks and tips you can keep in mind to help.
This is going to get a little philosophical again, so watch out!
know yourself and what works best for you
Easier said than done, right? Maybe not… who knows you better than you? This should really be easy, but sometimes we overthink things. That’s when we make it harder than it needs to be.
Maybe a better way to describe this tip is to be honest with yourself… about yourself.
Let’s start with an easy one first. Are you a morning person or a night owl? What time of the day do you feel most energized? You want to figure out how to get stuff done, right? So it’s best to work on stuff when you have energy and you are at your best. Experiment with this and try doing things at different times of the day to see what works best for you and when you the most energy to apply to the tasks at hand.
Speaking of energy, how focused are you? Do you get distracted easily while you’re doing something and have trouble finishing it? That could mean you’re trying to do too much at once and your mind is wandering to other things that need doing too. This is a signal you may want to try breaking up your tasks into smaller chunks. Remember the post on getting organized and using the project manager’s trick to chunk things down?
To help cut down on distractions and help you focus, try listening to calming music while you’re working. Pick something with no lyrics – just instrumentals – to help you focus and keep your mind from wandering to other things that will take you away from your task at hand.
take care of yourself first
We can be tough on ourselves and ask too much sometimes. Again, be honest. Remember that discussion we had about building self trust?
Taking care of yourself is the same way. And it’s not selfish to take care of yourself. Have you ever been on an airplane? Why do you think the safety instructions tell you to put your own oxygen mask on first? You take care of yourself fist so you can help others… if you pass out you’re no good to anyone in an emergency!
Taking care of yourself means watching your diet – what you put into your body has a direct effect on your energy level and how creative and productive you can be. No matter what your stuff situation looks like, if you aren’t eating right and have no energy you’re not going to get anything done.
You have to be strong too – those boxes of stuff don’t move themselves, you know! It’s important to get enough exercise every day to stay strong and have the stamina to work on the things you want to do. Sure, moving those boxes can be a workout, but you’re not always moving boxes – so start a regular work out routine and make sure you’re getting enough exercise to build some muscle.
Be honest with yourself here too. Not eating right and getting too much, or too little, exercise will ruin your energy level too. If you’re tired all the time you can’t much done either – so make sure you’re getting enough sleep.
Sometimes it makes sense to take a nap during the day. The minimaxer loves to take power naps in the early afternoon between tasks. A short nap can work wonders! We are big advocates of the power nap here in the minimaxer household.
stick with it and commit to yourself
Finally, once you figure out what works best for you, stick with it. Make the commitment to yourself to take care of you and to be good to you and to listen to what your body, and your mind, is telling you.
All these tips can work well to bring consistency to other areas of your life too. Once you have your minimax system working, and you can prove to yourself it works and that you build systems for other things in your life too.