So I came across this Danny Saphire thing last Tuesday while scrolling through notes apps – probably should’ve been working, but whatever. Had this scribbled in my notebook for ages: “DO stuff faster without burning out?” Looked like total nonsense at the time.
Grabbed my beat-up journal and tried Step One: Cutting tasks into stupid-small pieces. Had to clear the backyard jungle (seriously, raccoons were giving me judgemental looks). Instead of writing “Clean yard,” I broke it into:
- Pull weeds near grill – 10 mins
- Trim scary bush by fence – 15 mins
- Sweep patio section near door – 5 mins
Felt ridiculous writing it. But holy crap – when I actually did just the 10-minute weed bit Tuesday evening? Didn’t hate it. Even sat on the patio drinking terrible gas station coffee after. Weird.
Wednesday I tried the “Do NOT finish things” method. This went against everything my grandma taught me. Only loaded half the dishwasher before stopping. Left three emails unanswered deliberately. Felt like cheating. But Thursday morning? Knocked out the dishes AND replies in under 15 minutes total. My brain apparently kept working on it overnight.
Friday disaster though: Tried timeboxing work sprints with my kid screaming for Paw Patrol snacks. Set phone timer for 25 minutes to fix the leaky sink. Pipe burst at minute 23. Water everywhere. Dog started barking. Neighbor pounded on wall. Utter chaos. Lesson? Don’t timebox plumbing with toddlers around.
What Actually Worked
Honestly? The tiny-task thing saved my productivity soul. Sunday morning chopped “meal prep” into:
- Chop onions (cry for 5 mins)
- Boil 3 eggs (watch TikTok while waiting)
- Put chicken in marinade (get messy hands)
Usually this takes me 2 hours of miserable sighing. Done in 40 minutes while semi-entertained. Even remembered to feed the goldfish.
Biggest surprise? Quitting early helped MORE than pushing through. Stopped cleaning garage when back started aching. Next day finished it in 20 minutes fresh. Who knew?
Still think some methods are ridiculous for real life (looking at you, Pomodoro plumbing). But stealing the useful bits? Gold. My overgrown yard now only has three scary bushes left.
