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Chapter 3
Trick Yourself into Getting Done
Just as Mom used to grind up that bitter pill in a bowl of ice cream, you can make working on tough tasks easier for yourself to swallow.
Hack 25
Make Your To-Do List Doable
Level: EasyPlatform: All
Your to-do list can be a tool that guides you through your work, or it can be a big fat pillar of undone time bombs taunting you and your unproductive inadequacy. It all depends on how you write it.
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Hack 26
Set Up a Morning Dash
Level: EasyPlatform: All
There is one way to ensure that you'll knock at least one thing off your list: Dedicate the first hour of your day to your most important task-before you check your email, paper inbox, or go to any meetings.
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Hack 27
Map Your Time
Level: AllPlatform: All (with a spreadsheet or calendaring program)
The busy person's perennial question is, "Where did the day go?" It's easy to get tossed from one thing to the next like a piece of driftwood caught in the tide of your crazy life.
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Hack 28
Quick-Log Your Work Day
Level: EasyPlatform: All
When you start keeping a daily work log, you might be surprised to find out what your workday really consists of.
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Hack 29
Dash Through Tasks with a Timer
Level: EasyPlatform: All
Trick yourself into getting going by making a commitment to work on the task for just a handful of minutes-minutes that will end at the beep of a timer in a small, quantifiable amount of time.
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Hack 30
Form New Habits with Jerry Seinfeld's Chain
Level: EasyPlatform: Web
Once upon a time, Jerry Seinfeld gave a young comic advice...
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Hack 31
Control Your Workday
Level: EasyPlatform: All
Getting out of the office on time is tough when there's always another task, project, or drive-by boss request to knock out before you leave. It's easy to lose a day checking email, going to meetings, and putting out fires only to find that at 5 or 6 or 7 p.m., you haven't gotten started on something critical.
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Hack 32
Turn Tasks into Gameplay
Level: EasyPlatform: All
Ever wish you could knock down the items on your to-do list with the same gusto you fit blocks together in Tetris or collect gold coins in Super Mario Bros?
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