How I *Finally* Accomplished More in 3 Months Than I Ever Imagined

#4 is my favorite

Wouldn’t you love being on that momentum train to get-stuff-done town?

I’d love to be on that train all day, every day. Forever.

But I know that’s not possible. It isn’t realistic.

We are far better at planning — over-committing and under-delivering.

Whether we want to complete that book or we’d like to lose 25 lbs, we think of our goals as enormous boulders that we need to move to the hilltop.

And that’s why we get derailed (pun intended).

In 2024, I am committed to getting more stuff done than I’ve planned for.

And, surprisingly, or rather unsurprisingly, I got more done in this quarter than I anticipated. Or imagined. Because I focused on the doing bit.

Not the “I am planning on doing this” bit.

I got invited to the top 1% of business podcasts. I booked 2 expert-led workshops. I crossed my revenue target with Geeks and Experts. And I wrote some pretty well-received articles in publications. F-I-N-A-L-L-Y!

So, here are a few strategic mindsets I took this quarter to get back into the groove of things and get more out of each day/week without feeling stuck.

More regular, less fancy

Most of our days are average.

There are only a handful that bring exhilarating highs or stooping lows.

So, if most of our lives are made on regular days, regular should feel good.

Exercising every day or as often as possible is good.

Meal prep is bloody annoying but leaves us feeling good.

Meditation is not fancy by any means, but again, it feels so good.

This quarter I focused on the power of the regular, boring stuff. No fancy routines, cold plunges, or 10-step morning routines. That’s too exotic for me!

Don’t complicate your already complex life. Make it as easy as possible to get the daily stuff done. The steps, the writing, the breathing, the sleeping.

In the long term, the graph, like the S&P 500 stock index, will only go up!!

Every action DOES NOT need an equal and opposite reaction

Would you write if 39283 readers didn’t applaud you?

Would you work out without your Apple watch?

Would you meditate without a long streak?

I removed so much of the pressure when I let myself off the hook to succeed so that I could impress that investor or show XYZ how it’s done.

Seeking external validation, permission, or appreciation is the best way to ruin the joy of getting that thing done.

This approach helped me get into the flow of things without feeling overwhelmed or waiting in anticipation of results.

I could fully immerse myself in what I was doing and lost my sense of time while writing, reading, exercising, or even watching a movie.

Everyone has their bills to pay and places to go. Stop looking for approval!

And do more of the things that fuel your cup, not your neighbors’.

Have a jolly good time

I decided I wanted to have a grand time.

I wanted to have a good time while struggling to write articles. Or come up with headlines. Or push my limits while strength training. Or doing sales.

During these three months, there were multiple instances when I would try to chase something and I kept getting new curveballs bowled my way.

I changed my approach and looked at it this way:

• What good can come from this challenge?
• Can tackling this challenge make me smarter or stronger?
• If I fail miserably, did I at least feel satisfied that I tried hard enough?
• What’s the extreme worst that could happen?
• Would it at least make a good story? HAH!

Be determined to get a thrill out of it, no matter what the universe plans.

Find a way to have fun with it, learn from it, or gain from it.

Invent a deadline, please!

Okay, time for some tough love.

How often have you heard yourself or a friend say that they can’t wait to start a business? Or they can’t wait to get healthy? Or they want to change!

We’ve all sat there on our asses wondering when we can finally call ourselves an author. Or when we can fit into that dress we bought in 2021.

Parkinson’s law states clearly that a task takes the amount of time you give it. Inventing a deadline is the best way to get stuff done. Trust me!

I had a half-marathon on my bucket list for the longest time. I got quite embarrassed bringing it up again and again at gatherings. It felt stupid!

So, I invented a marathon date. I gave myself a deadline to make 2x revenue in March. I invented the deadline for writing 3 articles on Medium.

You have to know that there are many, and I mean, manyyy more people doing the stuff you dream of doing because they decided to go for it!

They simply put their “Screw it!” hat on and went on with it.

Manage your energy, manage your time

I’ve spent so much time ruminating and imagining my life.

No, really. I have sat looking at writers nailing it. I’ve seen startups grow and reach phenomenal heights. And, I’ve wondered if I could ever do it.

This quarter, I decided to channel that energy inward. I invested in myself little by little each day to move me closer to those goals.

There’s a compass inside all of us that can determine whether we gave our best at a particular task or half-assed it. Try asking yourself right now!?

Did you put in the effort to write a kickass article?

Was it the best shot you could have given?

We’re so caught up in seeing if other people's grass is greener that we forget to water ours. Those people don’t give a damn about your grass.

No mentor, investor, friend, or family could do the things I needed to do as a needle mover to achieve my goals — whether it was sales or cycling!

Take yourself and your goals seriously.

Complete a task from start to finish

Sometimes we need to show ourselves that we can do something.

I crushed the self-doubt by taking on minor tasks but completing them.

It could be baking. Or going to the gym for 30 minutes. Or doing a puzzle.

Often, what we see, we believe. The more we see it, the more we believe it!

In the past three months, I made it a point to remind myself that on a good day or a bad day, there are certain non-negotiables I’d do my best to finish.

We all have those ups and downs because adulting is messy. And chaotic!

But, instead of getting overwhelmed with your big goals, tell yourself that you just want to see if you can write one article today. Or if you can get just 2 more clients this month. Or if you can just finish this short meditation.

Give 100% of the 67% you show up with! And complete it the best you can.

Believe it, in your bones

We can get all the possible tools, courses, and resources at our disposal.

There is no dearth of coaches who can teach you how anything is done.

They can do anything for you but believe in you on your behalf.

Think about the number of people who join courses or webinars to start writing a book and eventually write the goddamn book. Maybe 5–15%!

Everyone might have the best intentions. But they don’t follow through.

The ones who truly succeed are the ones who believe that they can achieve that ambitious goal. They have envisioned themselves at the finish line.

Hope is what keeps the world spinning! And the days you rise and shine all chirpy and excited to bring it on because you believe you can, you’ll win.

On the days you feel victimized as if the whole world has conspired to ruin your plans, is when you convince yourself that you’re not enough.

You’re not good enough. Smart enough. Deserving enough. And so on!

You have to change your thinking first, and then the evidence appears. Our big mistake is that we do it the other way around. We demand to see the evidence before we believe it to be true.

— Jen Sincero

Wouldn’t we all love to get more done in our days than we hoped for?

Far too often, it is simpler than we make it seem. Not easy, but simple.

These are only a few ways I am building the mindset to get more done.

Whether it is in one quarter, one month, or one week.

Read more from the *Finally* series.

I am the founder of Geeks and Experts, and I write about PR for startups, founder wellness, immigrant founders, and writerpreneurship!

Feel free to follow me on Medium or connect with me on Twitter or LinkedIn.