Nest: Day 23
March 23, 2011 
3 Comments
Day 23
Keep your mind free.
PET scan showing hard-working brain. By Jens Langner.
Your poor brain has been working overtime for years. Help that big gray thing along.
Here are some tips, popularized by David Allen’s Getting Things Done, but long preached by all productivity smartypants.
1. Preferably continually (as ideas arise), but certainly once a week, empty everything from your brain onto paper. This allows those busy little synapses of yours to take a break from bullshit such as “oh yeah I keep forgetting to water the plants”.
2. Make a section of your BOP to add ideas, thoughts, and to-dos as they occur to you.
3. Once a week, perform a “weekly review” in which you sort these emptied ideas into tasks, to-dos, whatevers, and decide whether to schedule, file, or toss them. We will go into greater detail in Days 32-90 of habithacking. If you wish, read today’s Create post for a great article link.
From now on, every Friday, empty your brain into your BOP—(bopwhaaat? Get thyself to Nest: Day 8 if you don’t know).
Then review your brain-dump from the previous week . This is Free-Your-Mind-Fridays!
For fun, check the Website of Jens Langner, who generously puts beautiful PET scan images into the public domain.
Morning routine:
Obey your BOP.
Do your do.
Polish your place.
Take five (an 8 minute break every half hour).
Shovel your shitspot.
*Your personal additions here: ____.*
*Your personal additions here: ____.*
D-Day every day…or at least on WeDnesday.
(If it’s the Ides, do whatcha want.)
Add 3H (Half-assed housekeeping hour) to Mondays.
Beat your bête noire on Terrible Tuesdays.
Free your mind on Fridays.
Evening routine:
Polish your place.
Decide on duds.
Nest Month 1
What to do so far:
In case you missed a day, the reminders below are clickable..
Polish your place twice every day.
Do your do.
Be regular and orderly with your keys.
Take an eight minute break every half hour.
Shovel your shitspot every day.
Decide on duds the night before.
Put your Brain on Paper. BOP.
Obey your BOP.
Get your zen on.
Use your timer for 11 minute timed tasks.
Do D-Days as often as possible, but always on every WeDnesday.
Use music to enliven work at home.
On the Ides, I’d rather be _______.
Ride your routines.
Add 3H, Half-assed Housekeeping Hour, to your Mondays.
Beat your bête noire on Terrible Tuesdays.
Customize habithacking to fit your needs.
Good enough is plenty good.
Add Creative Sundays to your routine.
Change your space to reflect who you are.
Add a day for a braindump: Free-your-mind Fridays.
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[...] Free your mind Fridays. Empty brain into BOP. Laundry: Do the dirty. Friday frillies and woolies [...]
[...] is plenty good. Add Creative Sundays to your routine. Change your space to reflect who you are. Add a day for a braindump: Free-your-mind Fridays. Add P4 (it comes after #1 & #2) If you’ve got drive, Chase on Thursdays and Drive Decon [...]
[...] just as you’ll read in our Nest posting today (take a look), we’re going to add Free-Your-Mind Fridays. From now on, every Friday, dump some gray matter [...]