MOFO Mission #7: Take Control (Breather Episode with Brad)

Sep 25, 2020

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(Breather) The seventh step to becoming a badass MOFO is to work on overcoming non-stop digital stimulation and distraction, which can only be achieved by focusing, prioritizing, and powering down with unwavering discipline. It means implementing proactive daily rituals (like working out) before even glancing at a screen.

This is especially important as looking at your phone/computer/email first thing in the morning activates the shallow, reactive, part of your brain. Talk about starting things off on the wrong foot! How can you expect yourself to be focused and productive when you’ve activated the reactive (and not proactive) part of your brain right after waking up? Answer: you can’t. So, why not at least try to resist the temptation? Instagram will still be there in a few hours, so do yourself a favor, and help yourself out by putting some time into creating (and incorporating) a few winning rituals (that will eventually become habitual) that you can do before you let yourself even look at a screen. Also check out previous shows, like Prevent Tech From Hijacking Your Mind, and the episode with productivity and marketing expert Seth Godin, for more tips on overcoming distraction and productivity.

One of the most helpful pieces of advice Seth ever gave me about this subject was simple: “Turn that shit off and get the work done man!” Effective yes, but is this approach easy for everyone to implement? Maybe, but maybe not...what works for one person will not necessarily work as well for you, so in this show, I will outline some very valuable tips you can use to ensure you’re spending your time as efficiently and effectively as possible. Digital distraction is no joke, so here are some methods that will help you work around (and against!) the temptation to scroll down your screen all day long:

Facilitate Deep Work. Schedule time for work (first thing in the morning works best for most people) and check out my show covering the book Deep Work for details. Different methods work for different folks, but I found having an accountability partner was a really effective strategy for me. Carve out an hour or two in the morning to just get it done - and then email your accountability partner afterward to say, “I F%^&*ING DID IT TODAY!” You can even email yourself, it’s just the act of having some form of accountability that is most useful.
Become Aware of the Cost of Distractibility. How much time do you think distractibility really costs you in a day? I bet we all underestimate how much time we lose when we take that “one-minute break” that turns into an hour. Take some inspiration from Jim Collins, who tracks all of his time on a spreadsheet, as this will provide you with an actual number of how much time it costs you in a day when you lose focus. Being able to quantify how much time you spend working and not working is a great motivator for getting things done and cutting out distractions.
Be OK With Being Annoying. Do not allow yourself to feel guilty about not being immediately responsive to people or saying “no” to a lot of things. You may think it’s only going to take you 5 seconds to respond to that text message, but it’s really just opening a can of worms. Put your phone in the other room if you have to, just do whatever you can to make your phone (and whatever else distracts you) not easily accessible.
Devote Time to Shut Down Time. Easier said than done, but, it still has got to be done. Do your best to remove any obstacles and temptations from the environment you’re working in. Similar to the ‘put your phone in another room’ method, I’ll sometimes go somewhere where I know there is no Wifi to ensure I won’t get distracted.
Don’t Waste Time Waiting For Inspiration. Otherwise, you’ll be waiting a long time. So don’t focus on it, don’t sit around waiting for it to magically materialize. Instead, set yourself up with a morning routine you can actually stick to, and go! Don’t wait for inspiration, just get up in the morning and do not let yourself look at your phone/email/social media until you have gotten a substantial amount of work done. No excuses, no waiting for that serendipitous moment when the light bulb goes off - like Seth said, turn it off, and get the work done!

Lastly, really make an effort to save your screen time for the daytime….otherwise, the nighttime blue light exposure will most likely keep you awake all night, leaving you exhausted and trashed for the next day. If you want to be truly focused, you have to make sure your body is functioning well, which is why MOFO Mission #7 is to take control.

TIMESTAMPS:

MOFO Mission no. 7 is Take Control. [01:23]

We must acknowledge the addictive properties of the dopamine hit we get with the ding of our phone. [02:26]

One tip from the Deep Work book is to make a solemn vow not to open your messages for the first 90 minutes in a day. [05:05]

It is good to have someone you are accountable to who will keep you on track. [05:42]

Tracking your creativity time ratio on a spreadsheet daily increases your awareness. [06:47]

Be okay annoying people [09:08]

Have distinct shutdown times. [11:00]

Inspiration is for amateurs. [12:41]

Start your MOFO assignment of Taking Control by committing to a deliberate proactive morning routine. [14:58]

Only things that are natural and easy to maintain are healthy. [17:23]

When you get exposure to the cold for just 20 seconds, it results in a 200 to 300% spike in mood. [18:26]

Initiate a sequence of deep diaphragmatic breaths so you can control your cold-water therapeutic experience. [22:23]

Ben Greenfield contends that his morning cold water immersion had a greater impact on stabilizing blood glucose than anything else. [24:12]

You want to spend your evening hours away from screen stimulation. [26:01]

Plug your phone in outside your bedroom. Walk the kids to school. [28:15]

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