One of the techniques that really stood out to me was how to get started on projects. I find myself facing this kind of situation fairly often. Where there is a blank page (or something similar) staring me in the face and I’m trying hard to come up with the perfect version of whatever it is I’m trying to accomplish. But there is no way to get that perfect version out on the page from the start. You have to write the first draft. All of this is pretty simple, but having it reframed in a new way helped me to see it in a way that really made sense.

They suggest starting with just writing out anything and everything about what you’re trying to complete, knowing that it’s going to be wrong, or not make any sense. But it doesn’t matter, you’re the only one that’s going to see it in it’s imperfect state. Once you have that down, you start categorizing those things on the page into two camps: things that are correct, and things that are incorrect. So you eliminate things that are clearly not going to work, and start collecting the things that will. It turns trying to create something perfect out of thin air, into a mining expedition where you just uncover the gems. While the idea of writing a first draft and then perfecting it isn’t really a novel one, the way they framed it really made sense to me.

I’ve been having a hard time continuing to blog (one of my four goals currently being worked on). I can’t seem to come up with new ideas, or flesh out the old ones I’ve come up with. I want to have a good blog post to appear as soon as I sit down to write it. But, using this technique, I just write down any and all post topics that come to mind and then start the triage. Once I’ve whittled it down, I can take one of those topics and start writing badly about it. Once I have something (anything) down, I can start mining for gems, slowly improving it until it takes the shape I want.

This technique is widely applicable and I’m excited to get it implemented in other areas of my life. Try it out, and let me know what you find.

The post Mining for Gems first appeared on Ben Rasmusen.

A good example of this behavior is productivity. I’ve been using the Pomodoro technique off and on for the last year or so (more about it here). I know that when I use it I’m more productive, my time is easier track and I’m able to get past the drag of procrastination a lot easier. There is little downside to this technique as well, it’s not difficult or time consuming to start at timer, I’m going to be doing that task regardless of whether the timer is running or not. So why do I have such a hard time starting one and continuing to use this very helpful technique?

Another example would be eating. There are certain foods that I have a weakness for, but that I know have a adverse impact on my health. There are also foods that are considerably more healthy that I also enjoy. So given a choice between the two, why wouldn’t I choose the healthier option? Why do I chose something that I know will end up hurting me in the long run? Especially when there is such a good alternative?

I know a lot of this is just human nature. But why are we so often our worst enemy? There are definitely activities that will improve our lives that are hard to do, such as working out consistently, or reading more. I can see the hurdle to getting those types of activities integrated into our lives. But there are also a lot of activities that are easy to implement that we also don’t do. We can see the benefits clearly, there is little to no additional effort involved, and yet we choose to not do the thing that will improve our lives.

I believe a lot of it does come down to habits and discipline. Training myself to do the right thing. It’s difficult at first, even with simple things, but once I have that habit in place and I’ve put in the required amount of discipline, it becomes second nature.

What are you not doing that you should be doing?

The post My Own Worst Enemy first appeared on Ben Rasmusen.

Over the past few years I’ve tried to change that trend in my life. I’ve tried to live more intentionally, to set goals, make a plan to reach them and then execute on that plan. Here are just a few small ways that I’ve been building the habit of intentionality into my life:

1. Deciding ahead of time. With a lot of things, deciding in the moment what course of action you should take is the wrong time. You should try to plan it out ahead of time when you’re not completely mired by the immediate circumstances and emotions. Some examples of this are getting up early, deciding what to eat for lunch (pick the salad ahead of time, not when you’re starring at a delicious burger), and making a plan for the next day (see below).
2. Plan for the next day. One of my daily habits is to plan for tomorrow. At the end of the day I sit down for a few minutes and jot down the things that I’d like (or have) to get done the next day. It doesn’t have to be a comprehensive list of items, but the more specific the better. That way when I get up the next morning, groggy and overwhelmed by my inbox, I don’t have to make quick decisions on what to work on, which usually ends in me deciding to see what’s on YouTube instead of working. I have a clear list of objectives planned a head of time I can just start working through.
3. Have a Most Important Task (MIT) for the day. From the plan I have for the day, I pick one MIT from that list and make it my top priority. I get up in the morning, make my tea and immediately start working on that one item. I don’t check my email, or Facebook, or work on something different. I just start right in on that one item. Getting that initial burst of productivity on the MIT is the momentum that pushes me through the rest of the list.

I’ve tried to be more intentional about all areas in my life. I’m constantly reminding myself that I have a choice and that I need to use that to live intentionally and with a purpose. Are you living intentionally?

The post Living intentionally first appeared on Ben Rasmusen.

1. Waking up early. I love the mornings, I’m most productive (after a cup of tea) in the mornings, it’s quiet, peaceful, and the whole day is stretched out before me. When I get up at my target time I’m able to get everything I need and want to get done that day. I know that even if I fail for the rest of the day I’ll have accomplished enough in those first few hours to make the day worthwhile.
2. Working out. Most of my life is spent sitting (or standing) in front of a monitor, or commuting, so getting a good workout in makes a big difference. I try to workout every morning during the work week. It sets a good tone for the day and I feel much better as I go about the rest of my sedentary day.
3. Being prepared. I always try to have something to do during the lulls in my day. I save stuff I find online to read later, I save PDFs for offline reading, and various other apps and tools that allow me to capitalize on those little moments between events, like commuting to the office, or waiting in line for something.
4. Pomodoros. This is a handy productivity technique (you basically set a timer for 25 minutes and work intensly on a task for that amount of time) that I’ve used off and on for awhile. I find that if I can get through just one of them, the momentum from that first Pomodoro is enough to keep me going. Not only does it provide all the benefits of keeping me productive, it also helps me keep an eye on how much time I’m spending on projects.
5. Tracking my activity. I use an app called RescueTime that tracks all my activity on my computer. I can see how productive I’m being on their dashboard, and I also get a summary report every Sunday letting me know how productive I was the week before. Having a metric for how productive I am on the computer keeps me accountable. After all, what gets measured gets managed.

What are some of the techniques you use to keep moving forward in your life?

The post My 5 Favorite Productivity Tricks first appeared on Ben Rasmusen.

I’ve been fortunate enough to see a pretty steady climb in my salary over the last few years, or at least that’s what it looked like on paper, but not the way it felt. Every time I made a little bit extra we used it to pay off the debt that we had accumulated over the years. I had borrowed against my future and was paying it back little by little. I didn’t realize at the time the kind of psychological drain this put on me. Whenever I spent money on anything other than necessities, I felt guilty. I knew that this money wasn’t really mine, that it belonged to my debtors and that at some point I would have to sacrifice some of these purchases in order to pay them back. All of this happened below the surface, but the tension was still real.

We’re not entirely debt free yet, we still have to pay off our car, which we plan on doing in the next month or so. But I can see the end. I can start to feel the weight lifted off my shoulders. I feel more in charge of my financial destiny and I don’t have the burden of knowing that someone else owns our money.

This is all part of my plan to overhaul our personal finances and whip them into shape over the next 10 weeks. My plan is to get all of our debt paid off, save a month’s worth of expenses in an emergency fund and start regular (if small) contributions to college savings for the kids and retirement savings for Amber and me. I’ve been living in a precarious financial situation for far too long and I’m tired of it. This is a process Amber and I have been working on for the last few years in little bursts, but it hasn’t felt real until recently.

If you’re working on your own financial fitness journey, keep at it, the rewards of being debt free and in charge of your financial destiny are great.

Below are some of the tools that we have found most useful, hopefully they can be of use to you as well.

• Dave Ramsey. His book The Total Money Makeover as well as his podcast, which is a great way to stay motivated.
• Mint gives you good tools for keep an eye on your finances. The budgeting tools aren’t awesome, but it’s great for keep an eye on transactions, balances and overall trends.
• Google Docs work great for collaborative budget spreadsheets. Here is a sample of the one we’ve been using to track our budget.

The post Financial Fitness first appeared on Ben Rasmusen.

1. Family Life vs. Work

   I fear one of these two taking over my life entirely to the detriment of the other. I worry that I won’t be focusing on one or the other as much as I should and they will both fall apart. I want to make sure that I’m spending as much time with my family as possible, while still focusing on my career which is personally fulfilling and also enables me to further provide for and spend time with my family.

   Attempted Solution: My current approach to making sure this in balance is two fold:

   a) Setting up clear lines between the two of them. I try to make sure that I’m fully focused on work when I’m at work, and fully focused on my family when I’m at home. I try to keep work outside of the family time. I get up early in the mornings to work while my family sleeps, I also leave the office as early as possible so that I can spend time with the family in the evenings.

   b) Spend quality time with the family when I don’t have much quantity to give. Since I do spend most of the day the office, I try to make sure that the time that I spend with the family is quality time. It’s not always easy when I come home from the office tired. But I try to make sure that we do quality activities together, not just zone out in front of the TV.

2. Being present and enjoying the now vs. Planning for the future and not becoming complacent

   I have a hard time appreciating my current circumstances because I compare them with what I ultimately want. I end up missing out on some really great moments because I’m not focused on the now. I spend too much time planning and thinking about the future rather than enjoying what I have now. I know from experience that I’m going to miss this time in my life. Looking back at certain points in my life that were objectively worse are some of my fondest memories, but I remember not fully enjoying them at the time. The flip side is to focus entirely on the now and not pay any mind to the future, which can mean getting stuck in the now and not reaching my goals and progressing beyond my current circumstances.

   Attempted Solution: I setup times to review my goals and make sure I’m on track. It’s a combination of daily, weekly and monthly reviews. With scheduled times to make sure I’m ultimately on track, I’m able to fully enjoy the now, knowing that I can check myself and my direction soon. I don’t have to worry about the bigger picture every second of the day, I just make adjustments as I review them during those pre-determined times.

3. Habits and routines vs. Being spontaneous and being able to adjust to changing circumstances

   I love finding the most efficient way to do something. I love being able to figure out a routine that works and then just turn it into a habit and forget about it. This is great for menial tasks that can be semi-automated, allowing me to focus on other things. I no longer have to worry about them getting done, I just do them because they are habits. The dark side of this is that I can’t adapt well to changing circumstances. If I get up late or don’t follow the usual routine for some reason it throws the entire flow off and that can ruin my day.

   Attempted Solution: I setup habits that allow for some flexibility. I don’t sweat small changes in my routine. I make sure that I have enough margin in my day to allow for those deviations. I work hard to not let small deviations in my routines and plans throw my entire day off track. I’m working on disconnecting my routines from specific times, making them more independent so I can hop in and out of the flow when I’m able to.

I know that finding balance in my life will always be a process and I’m hoping that some of these attempted solutions will help in keeping my life in balance. What are some things that you struggle with keeping in balance? What do you do to try and make sure they remain in balance?

The post Balance Is Hard first appeared on Ben Rasmusen.

I’ve been toying around with the idea and implementation of a standing desk for some time. Inspired by my friend Ben Lew and having read a couple articles (like this one) about the benefits of standing and working I’ve been wanting to give it a shot. I was however pretty nervous about going cold turkey and getting rid of my chair all at once.

My ideal scenario was to get a sit-stand desk that could raise and lower easily. As you can tell if you clicked that link, the desks are pricey, and currently outside of my desk budget.

I also came to the conclusion that I would probably lower it all too often thereby negating the advantages of having a standing desk, and that if I was going to do this, I just had to bite the bullet and go for it 100%.

I decided at the end of last week that I would go ahead and try it. I would spend a week standing at my desk, but I didn’t want to invest any money in the project until I knew I was going to be able to make it work. So I propped up a bunch of boxes and had my first experimental standing desk arrangement (the picture was taken with Instagram hence the style).

It worked well and I started to see a lot of benefits from standing. Here are a few of them:

• More energy and alertness. I used to get really tired about an hour after lunch, and would have a hard time focusing. Slouching in my chair I would nearly fall asleep sometimes, resorting to some afternoon coffee or just trying to get through the rest of work at a lower capacity. Since I’ve been standing I don’t feel as tired.
• I am happier overall, this is hard to quantify, but I get more enjoyment out of my work. I think the physical act of standing, being able to move around definitely makes my sometimes monotonous job a lot more enjoyable.
• Health benefits. As outlined by the article above, there are numerous health benefits to standing. While I do go to the gym (most) mornings, it doesn’t make up for the 10+ hours I spend sitting.

So after seeing these benefits I decide it was time to get a more permanent setup. For just under $60 I was able to build this setup, which so far (1 week in) has been amazing. I love having so much workspace and it’s the perfect height, without any adjustments to the bookshelves.

The simple list of items I used:

1. Hollow core slab door
2. 2 Bookshelves (I found these for $16 at my local Target)

The post Standing Desk first appeared on Ben Rasmusen.

Since we were already working on 21times.org we decided we could contribute to the effort while learning a bit ourselves. We reached out to some of the top users on Hacker News and asked if we might be able to use some of their content to create a course of motivation post to help keep people motivate throughout this month. A lot of those top users were gracious enough to let us user their content, and this was a great chance for us to test our idea.

So far we’ve received a great response. We’ve had a lot of signups and some great feedback. We’re excited to build this out further and get more courses in place. If you’re interested in getting some encouragement to get your app out this month in your inbox for 21 days, signup for free at hn.21times.org.

The post 21times Hacker News Sneak Peek first appeared on Ben Rasmusen.

My realization started off as disgust/anger at how lame it was that these awards were getting doled out to such mediocre talent. All the while they were making it seem as though they were praising the best of the best. Now I understand that these are the MTV movie awards (which are decided by fans, that probably watch MTV) so already they don’t have a lot of authority or credibility in my mind. But as these feelings subsided I started to realize that they WERE the best of the best for what they were trying to accomplish.

When making a movie you can try to further the art of film making; or you can appeal to the most people in an effort to make money. In this case they were clearly chasing the latter. So, although I personally don’t enjoy the movies/celebrities that were being celebrated at this event, they had clearly achieved their goals of becoming popular. They have appealed to a low enough common denominator that they have become the best at making money.

A lot of times I get hung up on hating things because they aren’t inline with my personal tastes. I have a hard time stepping back and realizing that their goal isn’t to be the next best indie film, it’s to appeal to the most people and therefore make the most money. And that’s something I can appreciate.

This applies to any business venture. Too often I find myself becoming more of a hobbyist by being a purist about certain things without keeping my end goal in mind. If I’m building web app that I’m hoping to impress my geek buddies with that’s one thing. But if my end goal is to build a business through the web app I need to look at it as such. I need to be less concerned with the nerdy details if they aren’t going to directly help me make money.

In short, the end goals needs to remain in focus. Keeping the end in mind will help you in deciding what direction to take and what to focus on.

The post In Defense of the Lowest Common Denominator first appeared on Ben Rasmusen.

Now exactly 2 years and 4,757 updates later I have decided it’s time for my experiment to come to an end.

Like I said the only reason I decided to start using Twitter was to network. I made a goal that year to ramp up my networking efforts since I’m not much of an outgoing person. I was freelancing full time at that point and I wanted to see if I could use Twitter professionally. After two years I can say that although I have gleaned some professional value from Twitter it hasn’t been a good ROI in terms of how much time I’ve had to put into it.

Having said that I have met some really awesome people on/through Twitter and it functioned great as a public chatroom/office watercooler (as my friend Ben Lew, @n0s0ap pointed out). But, I feel it’s taking up too much of my time at this point and I feel there are better, more lasting ways to interact with friends as well as network.

I hope that my departure from Twitter doesn’t mean a departure from the friends I’ve made on Twitter. I hope to continue to stay in touch as best I can and I hope to do it in a more lasting and meaningful way. If you would like to connect outside of Twitter please feel free to contact me, or direct message me via Twitter and I’ll reply with contact information.

I’m going to be trying to keep up with my blog more often as well, so feel free to grab the feed.

A big thanks to all my friends on Twitter for their friendship.

The post My Departure From Twitter first appeared on Ben Rasmusen.