Zombies Love Tomatoes

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Continuing the "tomato" theme of my earlier post, here is another magic trick I learned from the same training course. It's a technique they called "Bring On The Zombies", and it works great in unison with the pomodoro technique.

A "zombie" process is one that you do without thinking. Like walking, it works fine while you're not thinking about it, but it it's much harder to do if you try thinking about it while you're doing it.

Zombie processes are great for overcoming procrastination, because you sidestep the emotions of "I don't want to", "Oh no not that again" etc.

For these tasks, sit down and create a process, like the kind of checklists that airline pilots use, or if you were giving someone travel directions (eg do this, then this, then this, etc).

Once you have the process written down then schedule a time for it. Consider this like you would if you were making an appointment with your doctor or lawyer. Earlier or later is not an option. It's "on time" or nothing.

At the appointed time, use the pomodoro technique to fire off the process, work the process without thinking about it, then walk away from it DONE.

You will almost certainly overshoot the timer the first time you do it. You will almost certainly need to revise the process several times before it becomes razor sharp and effortless.

I write my Zombie Processes in Notepad. That way I can keep tweaking until I get it spot on.

One particular task used to take me an hour or so, after I'd deferred it half a dozen times throughout the day. And it would ruin my day because I was so worn out not doing it that I put off other stuff, even stuff I enjoyed doing.

Now that task takes me 27 minutes, and it now occupies no "brain space", no conscious thought, whatsoever.

I schedule it for "first thing after breakfast" so it's done and dusted, and my day is totally free from that moment on.

It's a fabulous way to live.

I've even managed to bring in 2 other projects that had received no air-time for over a year. Both are now moving ahead like little rockets.

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Recent Comments

16

This looks like something I definitely need to try!

Thanks Chris for sharing. That initial process to get going always seems the most difficult to get accomplished. Good advice!

My list needs work!
Thanks for sharing what can happen with a bit of work everyday!
Sami

I am currently working out a similir system.. Thank you for the encouragement to go forwar.

Think I will give this a try. Thank you Chris

Thanks Chris for the blog I will really give this a try cause I need all the help I can.

Thanks again Chris. Good advice and something for us all to try. We all have tasks we procrastinate at.
Saul

Procrastination is an interesting topic. We sometimes do that which we previously put off, in order to avoid doing something else that just came up. There's a kind of hierarchy to it.

You can use this to advantage by having "structured procrastination" where you look at the job you're procrastinating on, and offer yourself a worse job instead. Suddenly the original job becomes interesting.

That is what my daughter (a psychologist) calls "constructive procrastination". You get something (that you perceive as more urgent) done before the one that you are procrastinating about.

I like the sound of "structured procrastination". I'd always thought that procrastination was a bad word, but now I see there are always two sides to any coin! Thanks, Chris, for this eye-opener; I hope I remember to look for that worse job.

Yep, every silver lining has a cloud.

One comment I was known for using a lot was "Always look on the bright side. No matter how bad things are, they can always get a whole lot worse."

Great advice Chris, thank you.

ROCK ON!
E

Thanks Chris, loving your "tomato" tips! :)

I often wonder what the originator would have called it if the timer had not been that shape.

No idea, but the tomato thing is something people remember it works!

Another technique that looks like worth giving it a go. Thanks for sharing!

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