Hi friends!
I’ve got a few updates before we dive in.
First, I’m launching a YouTube channel! Claire is directing, producing, and editing, so really she deserves the credit. Watch our first video here.
Second, I’ve published last week’s idea on the blog: Beating Zoom Fatigue. I know some of you wanted to share it with your coworkers to make a case for turning off your camera, so I hope this helps.
Third, a reminder that the Intro to Make Time workshop is coming up next Tuesday. There are three more spots if you want to join.
Back to our regular scheduled programming...
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Getting Stuff Done Calls
Closing the gap between intentions and actions. It's one of the biggest challenges I continue to experience, and I'm guessing you might relate.
Many of us have an ideal self in our heads. That’s the one who wakes up early, works out, reads a book, and eats a spinach omelette for breakfast.
Then there is our actual self. That’s the one who hits snooze, skips the workout, and reads work emails while eating a bowl of Frosted Flakes.
If there’s anything I’ve learned about habit and behavior change in the past ten years, it’s this: enlisting the support of others is the only real habit hack out there.
That's why I feel so excited about a new tool I recently discovered, one whose purpose is to encourage accountability, create shared discipline, and ultimately to help bridge the gap between intention and action.
It's called a Getting Stuff Done Call.
Yep, it does exactly what it says on the tin. You have a call. With another person. And you get stuff done on that call.
It’s that simple.
And before you shrug it off as silly, hear me out.
There is something magical that can happen when we make ourselves accountable to another person. Immediately, our psychology spins into action. Our identity is at stake, and we feel the pressure to meet this expectation.
Here's how a Getting Stuff Done Call works:
Find 1-2 other people for your group and schedule a one-hour call
In your 60 minutes of working together, follow this game plan:
Plan: Take 5 min at the start to share your goal.
Mention any obstacles that might come up (e.g. “I might check my texts.”) and how you’ll try to prevent that (e.g. “I’m putting my phone in my bedroom.”
Progress: Spend 50 minutes working on your goal
Reflect: Spend 5 minutes recapping how it went at the end
While it might seem odd or even silly to schedule a call with someone just to work, the shared accountability you create is powerful.
I've experienced it myself.
Just last week, I had a Getting Stuff Done Call that resulted in me reshaping a design deck that I had been procrastinating on for 3 weeks.
Could I have done this on my own time? Yes. Did having...TK
It can be used in so many areas of life.
Starting a creative writing practice
Practicing a new language
Staying up-to-date on your personal finances
Learning a new skill
Overall, I think Getting Stuff Done Calls are especially powerful for the things you really want to do, but don't necessarily need to do, so you never end up doing them (or you just don't do it as much as you'd like).
I hope you find this idea useful, and if you try it out, let me know how it goes!
Practical Wisdom
Start with one goal. Before setting up a Getting Stuff Done Call for every area of your life, experiment with one area first. Research shows we’re better off building one new habit at a time, so pick a project, find a buddy, and start there.
Pair up with a peer. Here it is
Join a community. Here it is
Words of Wisdom
"You do not rise to the level of your goals.
You fall to the level of your systems.”
— James Clear