Would you like to hear how I came to create Project Time Machines, how it helps me, how it doesn't, and possibly how it might help you?
Then grab a drink, have a seat and I'll tell you all about it.
I'll start by telling you that I am almost certainly far lazier than you are. I don't mean to call you lazy. I have no idea who you are.
But as you found your way to this forum post, I can guess you struggle with procrastination at times. I do too, every day. And have been for as long as I can remember.
I don't lack a desire to do great things. I’ve always had big ideas, big dreams, big goals.
But that desire was apparently never strong enough to keep me working towards those goals long enough to actually reach any of them.
I don’t recall what my first big idea was, but I know as a teen I spent my first few paychecks I ever earned on a Tony Robbin’s 30-Day Personal Power system on cassette from a late night infomercial, with the hope and expectation that he’d help me achieve my dreams.
Well, whatever that first goal was, it didn’t happen. And I think I did a total of all of 9 days on the system (with maybe taking a break on day 2 or 3).
Tony did however get me rolling on a lifetime of self-improvement experimentation.
For the next several decades, the great ideas kept coming, as did all the books, videos, systems, organizers, apps, methods, tips and weird little tricks, with the expectation that something would get me motivated and help me make my ideas a reality.
Somehow, it never happened. Other than doing a decent job of running my own small computer consulting business — a role I stumbled into rather than actively pursued — I never finished a single big project that would put me on the path I truly wanted to be on.
Then, about 8 years ago, things changed. That’s when I came across a video by real estate marketer Dean Jackson.
At the time, my big idea was to create an Info Product of my own and sell it on the Internet.
I'm a pretty good computer consultant and I was pretty good at getting and retaining clients, so I was going to create a toolkit of marketing and support materials to help other IT support people to get their own clients and build their own practice.
It was a good idea, but the reality was, there was no reason this project should be any different than any of my previous ideas and ever see the light of day.
To make this happen would require a ton of writing, and writing is my kryptonite. Nothing makes me procrastinate harder than a writing assignment, and I was going to have to write all of the components of the product itself, plus all the blog posts, articles and video scripts I'd need to promote it - plus I'd need to actually learn how to actually promote and sell the product.
Copywriting and marketing are entirely new skills to learn on their own, neither of which I had a clue how to do. At the time, I didn't even know copywriting was an actual profession!
And for about a year, it looked like this project was going exactly how I should expect. I found an interesting online marketing and copywriting community, where I convinced myself I was learning how to create and sell a product, while in reality, I was just hanging out for hours on end in another online forum.
And doing absolutely nothing to actually make something happen.
Then I came across Dean's video, “The 50-Minute Focus Finder”.
In it, he describes several methods he uses to increase his focus and productivity, and a few of them sounded interesting to me.
He describes his 50 Minute Focus Finder, where you sit for 50 min. and write out all of the things you can think of that you want to accomplish in your life.
Then, you'd write each of these items on an index card and pin them to a giant corkboard on the wall, along with large, corresponding envelopes.
Whenever you want to work on something, you would go to the wall, pick the index card you want to work on and then set aside a 2 hour block of time to work on it. His method is working in a 50-20-50 session. That is, you'd work for 50 min., take a 20 min break and then work another 50 min.
So, a lot of this resonated with me, but I needed to make some changes.
For the 50 min. Focus Finder, I honestly had no interest whatsoever in listing ALL the things I wanted to accomplish in my life. I’ve done this for Tony Robbins almost 40 years ago, and several times since. All I really wanted to accomplish right now was my one big project, make and sell my Successful Computer Consultant’s (SCC) Toolkit.
So for 50 min. I sat down and listed everything I could think of that I would have to do to make this project happen, one index card per item.
I didn't have much interest in buying a giant corkboard, or taking up one of my walls, but I could see the value of wrapping a rubber band around the stack of cards and either keep them next to my keyboard, or put them in my pocket whenever I thought I'd have some downtime during the day and might have an opportunity to spend some time focused on my project.
And when I had that downtime, like if I was at lunch by myself or on the train heading to or from work, I'd pull out one of the index cards and set a timer.
I've tried the Pomodoro method in the past, which is very similar to Dean's 50-20-50. Pomodoro is 25-5-25.
Either way, I find that if I take a break, there's a really good chance I'm not coming back to work. Just getting myself to sit down and get started is the biggest challenge for me as it is. I don't like putting myself through the challenge twice.
I prefer working in a single block of time, and regardless if I take a break or not, 2 hours is a bit much for me. I generally tap out at around 45 min - 1 hr. before I start getting fidgety and need a distraction.
But I definitely enjoyed using a timer, as it kept me from wandering off or getting distracted while I was trying to remain focused.
Whenever I was done working, I liked to flip over the index card and write a line or 2 about what I did and maybe what I wanted to remember to do next time. I'd also write my start and end time.
And without really thinking much about it, I kept using these cards over the next year or so, until I actually did it. I created the SCC Toolkit, executed a product launch and sold about $46K worth of product!
I then almost immediately quit, as it became clear that what I created for myself was a writing job.
No thanks. I'd rather be a computer consultant.
But, all good! I already knew what my next big idea was. I needed to turn this index card system I was using into an app. It would be even faster and easier to use than the cards, way easier to review, and I had plenty of features I wanted to add.
But once again, if I’m being realistic, there's no reason I should expect to complete this project. I knew zero about coding (still don't), no clue how to promote an app (still don't), and I'd once again have to do all the writing to promote it.
But I got started with my little stack of index cards, writing out everything I could think of that I needed to do (It's easy to add new cards later when you discover things you had no idea about earlier). and then as soon as I was able, I transitioned to using the 1st versions of the app to track my progress.
And over the next 2 1/2 years, I spent about 212 hrs., (so an avg of about 30 min. a day, 5 days a week?) and was able to get Project Time Machines built and launched to the Google Play store.
Goal 2 accomplished.
Now, another 3 or so years after that, it feels like I'm getting pretty close to hitting Goal #3 - launching PTM Pro, the paid version of the app.
Which will hopefully coincide with another goal I set long ago, which is to quit my job as a computer consultant. We shall see.
This system and this app has helped me to do what nothing else I ever tried has. It helps me to keep going until I see my ideas become reality. I think this might actually be the key to reaching goals.
I've heard it said many times, by many coaches and gurus over the years. Don't quit. Never give up!
I've heard lots of other advice too.
Find your passion. Visualize your success. Write your goals and remind yourself of them daily.
All solid advice. But I now think the one bit of advice that tops the list is Don’t Quit!
And I think that’s why Project Time Machines and the system it’s based upon helped me where nothing else has.
It can be so easy to take a break for a few days and simply not return. It's easy to forget where you left off. It's easy to let your goals and ideas fade from memory if you’re not working towards them regularly.
But if you can find a way to keep going, even after you may have gone off track for a while, I think that’s the key to reaching goals.
So while the app has helped me to keep on going even through many, many, many extended breaks, what it hasn't done is help me to destroy my habits of procrastination and laziness. This is still a battle I fight every single day.
I now win the battle more often, and I do give the app credit for helping me with that. Just opening the app and seeing how long it's been since I last worked can be all the motivation I need to snap me out of a procrastination spiral.
But it's genuinely painful to see what I've accomplished could have easily been done in a fraction of the time if I would just replace most of my screen time with being productive.
I don't know what the solution to this is, but the search continues. I'm not terribly interested in trying pharmaceuticals, though it's been recommended. I know therapy is a potential option, but also I'm not too open to trying.I've read a lot that psychedelics maybe a potential solution, but that's a discussion for another thread.
If you've struggled with similar challenges of procrastination and are still searching for a way to break out of the cycle, or you found something that works for you, well I'm glad we have this forum so we can discuss.
And if you're like me, with no problem coming up with a headphone of great ideas, but have a real challenge with making them happen, why not give a PTM a try? It's free and it takes only seconds to set up and start using.
If you do use it and find it helpful, please leave a review. It will be helpful to me, and the app.
I hope to chat with you soon, and I sincerely hope that Project Time Machines helps you Get More Done!
-Rob
Then grab a drink, have a seat and I'll tell you all about it.
I'll start by telling you that I am almost certainly far lazier than you are. I don't mean to call you lazy. I have no idea who you are.
But as you found your way to this forum post, I can guess you struggle with procrastination at times. I do too, every day. And have been for as long as I can remember.
I don't lack a desire to do great things. I’ve always had big ideas, big dreams, big goals.
But that desire was apparently never strong enough to keep me working towards those goals long enough to actually reach any of them.
I don’t recall what my first big idea was, but I know as a teen I spent my first few paychecks I ever earned on a Tony Robbin’s 30-Day Personal Power system on cassette from a late night infomercial, with the hope and expectation that he’d help me achieve my dreams.
Well, whatever that first goal was, it didn’t happen. And I think I did a total of all of 9 days on the system (with maybe taking a break on day 2 or 3).
Tony did however get me rolling on a lifetime of self-improvement experimentation.
For the next several decades, the great ideas kept coming, as did all the books, videos, systems, organizers, apps, methods, tips and weird little tricks, with the expectation that something would get me motivated and help me make my ideas a reality.
Somehow, it never happened. Other than doing a decent job of running my own small computer consulting business — a role I stumbled into rather than actively pursued — I never finished a single big project that would put me on the path I truly wanted to be on.
Then, about 8 years ago, things changed. That’s when I came across a video by real estate marketer Dean Jackson.
At the time, my big idea was to create an Info Product of my own and sell it on the Internet.
I'm a pretty good computer consultant and I was pretty good at getting and retaining clients, so I was going to create a toolkit of marketing and support materials to help other IT support people to get their own clients and build their own practice.
It was a good idea, but the reality was, there was no reason this project should be any different than any of my previous ideas and ever see the light of day.
To make this happen would require a ton of writing, and writing is my kryptonite. Nothing makes me procrastinate harder than a writing assignment, and I was going to have to write all of the components of the product itself, plus all the blog posts, articles and video scripts I'd need to promote it - plus I'd need to actually learn how to actually promote and sell the product.
Copywriting and marketing are entirely new skills to learn on their own, neither of which I had a clue how to do. At the time, I didn't even know copywriting was an actual profession!
And for about a year, it looked like this project was going exactly how I should expect. I found an interesting online marketing and copywriting community, where I convinced myself I was learning how to create and sell a product, while in reality, I was just hanging out for hours on end in another online forum.
And doing absolutely nothing to actually make something happen.
Then I came across Dean's video, “The 50-Minute Focus Finder”.
In it, he describes several methods he uses to increase his focus and productivity, and a few of them sounded interesting to me.
He describes his 50 Minute Focus Finder, where you sit for 50 min. and write out all of the things you can think of that you want to accomplish in your life.
Then, you'd write each of these items on an index card and pin them to a giant corkboard on the wall, along with large, corresponding envelopes.
Whenever you want to work on something, you would go to the wall, pick the index card you want to work on and then set aside a 2 hour block of time to work on it. His method is working in a 50-20-50 session. That is, you'd work for 50 min., take a 20 min break and then work another 50 min.
So, a lot of this resonated with me, but I needed to make some changes.
For the 50 min. Focus Finder, I honestly had no interest whatsoever in listing ALL the things I wanted to accomplish in my life. I’ve done this for Tony Robbins almost 40 years ago, and several times since. All I really wanted to accomplish right now was my one big project, make and sell my Successful Computer Consultant’s (SCC) Toolkit.
So for 50 min. I sat down and listed everything I could think of that I would have to do to make this project happen, one index card per item.
I didn't have much interest in buying a giant corkboard, or taking up one of my walls, but I could see the value of wrapping a rubber band around the stack of cards and either keep them next to my keyboard, or put them in my pocket whenever I thought I'd have some downtime during the day and might have an opportunity to spend some time focused on my project.
And when I had that downtime, like if I was at lunch by myself or on the train heading to or from work, I'd pull out one of the index cards and set a timer.
I've tried the Pomodoro method in the past, which is very similar to Dean's 50-20-50. Pomodoro is 25-5-25.
Either way, I find that if I take a break, there's a really good chance I'm not coming back to work. Just getting myself to sit down and get started is the biggest challenge for me as it is. I don't like putting myself through the challenge twice.
I prefer working in a single block of time, and regardless if I take a break or not, 2 hours is a bit much for me. I generally tap out at around 45 min - 1 hr. before I start getting fidgety and need a distraction.
But I definitely enjoyed using a timer, as it kept me from wandering off or getting distracted while I was trying to remain focused.
Whenever I was done working, I liked to flip over the index card and write a line or 2 about what I did and maybe what I wanted to remember to do next time. I'd also write my start and end time.
And without really thinking much about it, I kept using these cards over the next year or so, until I actually did it. I created the SCC Toolkit, executed a product launch and sold about $46K worth of product!
I then almost immediately quit, as it became clear that what I created for myself was a writing job.
No thanks. I'd rather be a computer consultant.
But, all good! I already knew what my next big idea was. I needed to turn this index card system I was using into an app. It would be even faster and easier to use than the cards, way easier to review, and I had plenty of features I wanted to add.
But once again, if I’m being realistic, there's no reason I should expect to complete this project. I knew zero about coding (still don't), no clue how to promote an app (still don't), and I'd once again have to do all the writing to promote it.
But I got started with my little stack of index cards, writing out everything I could think of that I needed to do (It's easy to add new cards later when you discover things you had no idea about earlier). and then as soon as I was able, I transitioned to using the 1st versions of the app to track my progress.
And over the next 2 1/2 years, I spent about 212 hrs., (so an avg of about 30 min. a day, 5 days a week?) and was able to get Project Time Machines built and launched to the Google Play store.
Goal 2 accomplished.
Now, another 3 or so years after that, it feels like I'm getting pretty close to hitting Goal #3 - launching PTM Pro, the paid version of the app.
Which will hopefully coincide with another goal I set long ago, which is to quit my job as a computer consultant. We shall see.
This system and this app has helped me to do what nothing else I ever tried has. It helps me to keep going until I see my ideas become reality. I think this might actually be the key to reaching goals.
I've heard it said many times, by many coaches and gurus over the years. Don't quit. Never give up!
I've heard lots of other advice too.
Find your passion. Visualize your success. Write your goals and remind yourself of them daily.
All solid advice. But I now think the one bit of advice that tops the list is Don’t Quit!
And I think that’s why Project Time Machines and the system it’s based upon helped me where nothing else has.
It can be so easy to take a break for a few days and simply not return. It's easy to forget where you left off. It's easy to let your goals and ideas fade from memory if you’re not working towards them regularly.
But if you can find a way to keep going, even after you may have gone off track for a while, I think that’s the key to reaching goals.
So while the app has helped me to keep on going even through many, many, many extended breaks, what it hasn't done is help me to destroy my habits of procrastination and laziness. This is still a battle I fight every single day.
I now win the battle more often, and I do give the app credit for helping me with that. Just opening the app and seeing how long it's been since I last worked can be all the motivation I need to snap me out of a procrastination spiral.
But it's genuinely painful to see what I've accomplished could have easily been done in a fraction of the time if I would just replace most of my screen time with being productive.
I don't know what the solution to this is, but the search continues. I'm not terribly interested in trying pharmaceuticals, though it's been recommended. I know therapy is a potential option, but also I'm not too open to trying.I've read a lot that psychedelics maybe a potential solution, but that's a discussion for another thread.
If you've struggled with similar challenges of procrastination and are still searching for a way to break out of the cycle, or you found something that works for you, well I'm glad we have this forum so we can discuss.
And if you're like me, with no problem coming up with a headphone of great ideas, but have a real challenge with making them happen, why not give a PTM a try? It's free and it takes only seconds to set up and start using.
If you do use it and find it helpful, please leave a review. It will be helpful to me, and the app.
I hope to chat with you soon, and I sincerely hope that Project Time Machines helps you Get More Done!
-Rob
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