For a year I chose not to have a phone. It all started because I only had a phone which my previous work had provided. And when I stopped there I had to turn it in. I thought to myself that I would be nice without a phone for a couple of days. So I decided to look for a private phone next week.
When next week arrived, I realized have awesome it was not to have a phone. I had no idea that there was so much stress related to that little thing.
For the first time in a very long time, I felt it could be boring to wait for the train. But it felt good. I had nothing to do other than waiting for my train. Just standing there. And look out looking at other busy people.
How I do It
I like to keep as simple as possible:
- Do five lines of writing a day (which is the equivalent of 50 words)
- Do it in the note app (it is simple but effective)
- Send that to myself through messenger or an e-mail.
- Proofreading in Grammarly.
- Publish.
Set Pathetic Writing Goals
My “5-lines-day-goal” will seem insignificant for most people. But it is a goal that makes it easy to do. Just grab the phone. Skip social media for 2 minutes and write whatever I feel like. Writing 50 words a day will turn into a 700-word blog post every 14th day.
Often I write more than the five lines. Because I feel like it when I first have started. But the hard part for me is to start. Some days I feel like writing by the computer. But I know that I will never be the writer that I would like to be if I have to sit down at a desk.
3 hours and 15 minutes
That is the average screen time for a smartphone user. Writing on the phone is by no means fast. I write the five lines in 2-3 minutes. Which I could do in 1 minute on my computer.
But I know from myself that if I had to sit in front of the computer to write. I would write much less.
On The Move
Often I get good ideas when I’m on the move. It can be on my bike. Going up some stairs or another thing. When that happens, I can just grab my phone. Start a headline, write a couple of lines on the new idea.
Deadtime = Productive time
It’s normal to see people stand in line, waiting in the waiting room or waiting for your public transportation with their smartphone in the hand. This could be a productive time. But often people just scroll mindlessly through their social media platforms (I do this as well).
But if I instead open the “Note” app on my smartphone. Write a couple of sentences that we have on our minds. And then go on with our lives. I believe that habit can turn your life around. You can start publishing articles on whatever topic you like. And maybe eventually you will be the expert in that field.
Embrace Imperfectionism
I do have days where I don’t meet my pathetic goal of five lines. But that is okay. I would lie if I told you that I hate when I don’t meet my goal.
But instead of getting too pissed. I focus on the goal for the next day. I move on. It is human and inevitable not to fail on your goals. It will be the people who continue to grind who will be what they want.
The avid reader might notice that I do have long periods where I don’t post anything. And that is because I’m human. Everyday life gets in the way.
And don’t be afraid of mipsellings. I use a software called Grammarly. I use that one time. And then publish. Misspellings will occur. But your message will still be there. Don’t worry about the people who can’t see through your tiny mistakes. They are the ones who fear the judgment of their own mistakes the most.
The Inner Resistance
I get many emails from people who wants to start writing but they fear what could happen if they started to do so. The be honest the inner resistance never goes away.
At this moment I’m starting to approach the 100th blog post. And I still feel a bit of resistance whenever I start a new post. I do not expect this feeling to ever go away. And instead, I have started to embrace this inner resistance. And the bigger it is, the more I need to do the thing I fear.
Become An Expert in Anything
By studying 20 hours you will know the basics in any field. 20 hours of studying equals to 2-4 books. Now you know more than 80 % of people. And from this point on you can start to teach others about the basics. You can become a known local expert in any given thing by studying an hour a day in three years or less.
Imagine that you attended a school where you decided what to study and which authors you should read. No one is going to determine that this is the right author to read about. You decide it, and you decide whether or not you liked what you have read. That is a super powerful tool.
No Matter How Old You Are
This how your to-do list would look like to become an expert in any field:
- Go the library and get 2-4 books on your new topic
- Start a webpage where you write from your phone 3+ minutes a day
- Keep reading and teaching about it, and in 100-200 books you will be the expert
No more no less.
The Workshop
I have just made a brand new workshop.
It is for you, if you feel like investing is complicated and overwhelming. It is not.
Check it out here, the early bird tickets are still available!