11 Things You Missed On The Internet This Weekend | 1.8.24

Putting yourself on the clock

Author

Brandon Wenerd
January 08, 2024

Hey there.

I hope you all had a fantastic first full weekend of 2024. I spent mine on a massive cleaning and organizing spree in my Los Angeles home. It’s not very big, but it had become a cluttered mess with the busy holiday season. You know how it is – buying and receiving packages, attending holiday events, stuff piling up in every crevice, random cardboard boxes everywhere, and so on.

In the spirit of starting fresh, I decided to do a full Marie Kondo-style clean: Whatever doesn’t give me joy or have some sort of purpose must go. I highly recommend it if you feel like your space is becoming a pig sty that gives you flashbacks to a frat house basement.

I even got a new dresser, curbed an old dressed, donated three bags of clothes, cleaned two closets, and sold some knickknacks via OfferUp and Facebook Marketplace that I’ve been ready to part ways with. It felt great to declutter and redefine my living and working space.

With a packed schedule over the next few months – work conferences, ski trips, weddings (including my own planning), and more – I knew it was time to get organized. Time flies, and I wanted to be ready for whatever comes my way.

One lesson from this weekend was learning how to motivate myself to tackle the tasks I put off. I hate how good I am at putting off tasks. I know it’s frustrating for other people too. I hate that and I’m trying to change that.

I’m sure I’m not the only person that does this: I like to putz around in a half-assed way thinking about something I want or need to do, yet avoiding the task at hand. My brain falls victim to the classic “the first step is the hardest” dilemma, then I torpedo myself by doing everything except taking that first step.

As a natural procrastinator, I discovered a neat little mental trick that helps me snap out of laziness and get things done. I heard it on a podcast the other week and thought I'd share it with you. I can’t take credit for the originality of this hack, but it’s such a simple one for taking the first step.

Buy a small sand hourglass. Put it within eyesight of your workplace.

Think of something you really need to do.

Get the mental gymnastics that come with putting the task off out of the way. Chuckle at some memes, kill some brain cells on TikTok, find some trail mix in your pantry to graze on.

Then grab the hourglass and flip it when you're ready to start working. It's like putting yourself on the clock, which can really help you get in the zone mentally. As soon as you flip, go forth and do whatever it is you need to do.

If half the time runs out and you're not feeling whatever you’re doing, you can stop and try again later. But if you're in the zone, keep going!

It's all about giving yourself a "shot clock" to encourage progress. Personally, it feels more real to me when you do it was an hourglass - something you have to physically make an effort to move - then it does by putting your iPhone timer or Alexa or another digital alarm on. I like the object permanence and symbolism of the hourglass.

Of course, I still went on a bit of a binge once I got started, but that's just how my brain works when I'm focused on a goal. I crave completion more than anything. I’m not very good at baby steps or chipping away at it in little increments. I go all-in once my brain switches to a sort of Jedi flow state. I like sweating it out and then the feeling of accomplishment that comes with it, along with a clean house that’s not an embarrassment to my mother and her mother and the ghost of her mother’s mother.

I went quiet on social media. I barely responded to texts or did anything leisurely, sans an early dinner out a burger joint after building up an appetite from cleaning all day (Heavy Handed in Santa Monica). I was locked in.

Last night, the reward for two days of cleaning came: I got to bask in that sense of accomplishment and a (almost) spotless home base. Victory! It was such an ordinary accomplishment… and it was so glorious.

Give the hourglass tip a try and let me know how it works for you.

I head out of town for my first work conference next Sunday, followed by a ski trip, and now I know that I'll come back to a tidy and welcoming place, with everything in its proper place. Cue the Radiohead!

Here's to a great week ahead - our first full 5-day week back in the office. It’s going to be a good one.

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Thanks for reading. Oh, and thanks for anyone who listened to the Spotify playlist on Friday! That was fun for me. I’ll periodically update it as I go throughout the week. If you have any feedback about the newsletter or have something you’d like to tell m, email me at [email protected].

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