Annihilate procrastination with this technique
People with ADHD can now say f*ck you to procrastination
During the Q&A at my talk in Bristol last week I was asked:
“Thanks for telling us WHAT to do, but can you tell us HOW to actually do it”.
This confused me.
How can I teach 200+ people breathwork, meditation, and many other techniques in 90 minutes?
I asked him to elaborate.
He told me that he knows he should do all these things - meditation, breathwork, cold exposure - but he lacks the motivation to get started.
Now I get it.
He then quoted some neuroscience — apparently people with ADHD have a neurobiological reason for not being able to start tasks.
I’m skeptical, rightly so, of most science that has “neuro” in it.
Nevertheless, people with ADHD seem to suffer from not being able to get started on tasks (even stuff they love doing).
I finally understood his question.
Here’s my answer:
Is there a drug free way to motivate yourself to get started on a task?
Yes there is.
I use it every day.
I didn’t have a name for it before today, so I named it: “Do The Fucking Task Hack”.
Here’s how it works:
Get a post-it note
Write on it what you need to get done (wash dishes, write story, meditate, etc.)
I tend to write “DO THE FUCKING DISHES”, or “DO YOUR FUCKING TAXES”.
I get motivated by that sort of aggression.
If that’s not your bag, pick a tone that works for you.
Stick it to a whiteboard and put a big circle around it
Do 2 to 3 minutes of intense breathwork (technique outlined below)
Grab the post it, stick it in front of me
Set a timer for 25 mins, often using Focusmate
Do the task
This destroys my weapons grade procrastination.
I can be staring at a wall for half an hour, thinking about, planning thoroughly, or coming up with excuses not to do, the task.
Then I do this.
It’s a circuit breaker for procrastination.
During procrastination I’m stuck. Cycling through my mind are 100 reasons why I can’t do the task. They’re all excuses. And they’re all bullshit. But I believe them. I believe them more than I believe anything.
Then I remember this hack.
I get up. Write a post-it note. Almost hyperventilate from the breathwork. Then I’m good to go.
Why does this work so well?
Firstly, that post-it note is staring me in the face.
The task was in my head. Now it’s on a post-it. It’s real. It needs to get done.
But that’s not enough to break the procrastination circuit.
I need accountability and I need a time limit.
For that, Focusmate is unbeatable.
If you’ve not used it before, Focusmate pairs you (virtually) with another remote worker somewhere in the world. You set a time limit of 25, 50 or 75 mins. At the start of the call you both share the task you’re working on, wish each other good luck, and then start the task.
Accountability AND a time limit in one.
But what about the lack of energy to get started?
Breathwork.
Intense breathing energises your body. It literally fills your brain with the oxygen it’s lacking. Giving you the burst of motivation to get your shit done (even for tasks you hate).
Here’s the breathing technique I recommend:
In through the nose (1 second)
Out through the nose (1 second)
Repeat 30x
After 30th inhale, exhale slowly then hold your breath
Hold for 30 seconds (with air out of the lungs)
Deep breath in through the nose
Hold for 15 seconds (with air in lungs)
Breathe out, repeat once or twice more
This is an expedited version of the Wim Hof Method breathing technique.
Wim’s technique takes 10 to 15 minutes to complete.
We don’t have time for that. We need to get moving quickly. The technique above will give you that.
So, putting it all together:
Write your task on a post-it
Stick to a whiteboard, circle it
Do 2 to 3 mins of breathwork
Set a 25-min timer, or (preferably) use Focusmate
Do the task
After 25-min, rest/do some exercises (squats work well)
There you have the newly minted Do The Fucking Task Hack.
🚨 If you want to learn this exact technique, in detail, I’ve created a short course that teaches it step-by-step in small and easy to learn chunks.
The Anti-Procrastination Technique course is live — click the button below to get your Subscriber-only discount!
For Step 8 in the breathing technique, are you repeating the whole sequence (including the 30x) or just 6 & 7 (deep breath in and hold)?
Funny how writing your tasks down makes them tangible and real and unavoidable. It's a tried-and-true way to get started doing anything. One thing I don't do is the "DO THE FUCKING TASK" language but I'm definitely giving it a go next time I stick a post-it to my white board :)