The Manifestor's Manifesto

Sleep better and be more productive

Some things are simple. Sleep is one of those things. 

When you get good sleep - and enough of it - then you’ll improve your ability to get things done. Not to mention you’ll also be happier and healthier too. Because who doesn’t like to sleep?

But in terms of habit hacks, sleep is an easy way to improve your habits and be more effective in reaching your goals. 

If you want to improve your sleep, play binaural beats while you’re sleeping. (I’ve already talked about the importance of avoiding blue light and screens before sleeping here). 

What are binaural beats?

A binaural beat is a tone your brain produces when you hear two different tones in each ear. 

If you hear a tone at 100 Hertz (Hz) in your left ear and a tone of 120 Hz in your right ear, then your brain will make up the difference and “produce” a tone of 10 Hz. 

Your...

3 ways to re-think repetition

When you think of habit hacks, you think of ways to get around how humans normally operate. Some insight or new way of thinking to break through convention. 

And that’s a good thing. One of the wonderful things about the modern day information age is the wealth of knowledge at your fingertips that can help you make marginal improvements on every part of your life. Never give up trying to crack the code.

But sometimes...old school works. 

And when it comes to creating a positive habit, old school repetition is one of the best ways to succeed.

Repetition

First off, why do I keep saying “old school?” 

Well, that’s because old school is cool. Everybody likes to be old school. 

When you’re old school, it means you appreciate simple wisdom. Bread and butter. Meat and potatoes. Nothing wrong with the new stuff, but don’t forget the old stuff that...

Reduce anxiety and increase efficiency

Some habit hacks require a major change in perspective to be effective. They can help you be much more productive, but they also call for a profound change on a deeper level.

Some habit hacks are easy and straightforward. This is one of them.

This is as simple as “do this → get your desired result.”

Because it’s so easy, you might think “what’s the big deal? How can such a simple thing be so life-changing?”

Which to my mind is even more reason to try it. 

Here it is: 

Set reminders for tasks that need to get done each day.

There are three reasons for why this is helpful. 

1-Reminders help productivity due to the Empty Brain is an Efficient Brain principle.

2-Reminders encourage planning

3-Reminders encourage time-blocking

1 - Empty Brain is an Efficient Brain

Your brain is a machine that is designed to achieve...

Start your day with less stress.

This 5 minute rule is simple.

Here it is: If it takes 5 minutes (or less), do it now.

You always have something to do. Whether it’s things to do at home or at work. It could be responding to that email or putting up a new shower curtain that’s still sitting in the shopping bag. If you can do it in five minutes, go ahead and get it done.

That’s it. 

Like I said, it’s simple. 

What’s the big deal?

Why is it important? Because it makes you more productive. This truly is a “habit hack” because it doesn’t involve a big idea or a change of perspective. 

Just “do this → get more done.”

This works off what I call the Empty Brain is an Efficient Brain Principle. 

What does that mean?

Because your brain’s job is to make you happy, it avoids things that make you unhappy. This includes anxiety and...

A stress free way to get through hard tasks

This is a great rule for perfectionists, and it’s another way to deal with procrastination. 

If you have a task that you don’t want to do, just commit to working on it for five minutes. If you’re procrastinating for whatever reason - whether it’s just something you don’t like doing or you don’t know how to start. Commit to at least five minutes of work.

Here’s the thing. Zero guilt if you don’t want to continue after five minutes. Just commit to five minutes. That’s it. 

Zero guilt

If the inertia is enough to get you over the hump, then keep going and get it done. If the task is still causing frustration for whatever reason, walk away.

This is a simple, low-stress habit hack that can help you leap the hurdles that get in the way of important tasks. 

For this to work, commit to the concept. If you’re not feeling it...

What’s the MOST important thing you need to accomplish today?

You might be noticing a pattern in a lot of the habit hacks that I’ve been throwing at you. 

Get rid of stress and get more done. 

Is life more complicated than that?

Sure.

But simple truths work. I don’t care how complex this life is.

And you’ll be successful when you inject this simple truth into everything. 

Remember: your brain wants your success. But your brain hates stress. 

Less stress = more success

Your brain creates strategies at the subconscious to make you happy. When you visualize your success in concrete terms, your brain creates the road map to get you there. 

But stress gets in the way. Nobody likes stress. You don’t like it. Your brain doesn’t like it. Stress takes energy. 

And guess what? Your brain needs energy. 

Remember, your brain isn’t some...

The grandfather of productivity hacks

Here’s a simple thing you can do to increase your productivity. 

• Take 15 minutes at the end of the day

• Think of the 6 most important tasks you need to do tomorrow

• Write them down in the order of importance 

• The next day work on each task in that order and don't move on until each task is completed 

• Unfinished tasks receive top priority the next day

Rinse. Repeat.  

This will make your productivity soar. It's not sexy. It may not be all that interesting. 

But it works. 

There’s nothing for you to “buy into.”  You’ll just see the results when it does.

How do I know it works?

Because it has for over 100 years. 

It’s called the Ivy Lee Method, and it was created by a man named Ivy Lee in 1918. (His full name was Ivy Ledbetter Lee, which is a pretty badass middle name if you...

Learn the power of structure and consistency

Creating structure in your routines and being consistent is one of the best ways to get more done.

Everybody knows this but not everybody knows how to think about structure and consistency in the right way. Learn how to think about structure the right way, so you can actually create consistency in your own life.

Here are three ways to think about creating structure and consistency in your life:

1. Structure doesn’t have to be boring. In fact it’s the opposite. 

1. Structure isn’t forcing yourself to do anything. Instead, it puts you in control

1. Structure takes away anxiety and gives your brain more energy to do things

#1 Following a plan is fun (really)!

Have you ever read a story to a child? They get all excited when stuff happens. Kids laugh at the funny parts. And they think it’s a blast when you use a bunch of goofy voices and act out the different...

What motivates you?

You need to identify what’s clearly at stake if you DON’T change a habit. 

Do you want to stop smoking?

Why? What will happen if you don’t? Bad health? Money lost to the cost of cigarettes? 

You want to start working everyday at 4 a.m. Why? What will happen if you don’t put that habit in place? Lose a promotion? Not earn enough to buy a nicer car? 

You can think about this from any angle you want, but answer the question, “if I don’t change this habit, what will the result be?”

You can identify the positive result of success or the negative result of failure, but you need to clearly visualize whatever that thing is that’s at stake with your desire to change a habit. 

Wait a minute? 

Doesn’t the Identity Factor stress the importance of getting rid of anxiety and limiting beliefs? How can it be a good thing to focus on something...

What are Mind Dumps?

Good ideas are simple, counterintuitive, and link to other good ideas.

The concept of mind dumps fits all criteria. For example it’s another easy way to overcome procrastination. Plus, it’s easy to do. 

Mind dumps are easy...give it a try

A mind dump is where you take your ideas and put them on paper. 

Anybody can do it. But why does it work?

It works because it lets you get all of your thoughts and emotions out on paper (or a word doc, whatever works). Write down everything. Write down your plans and all that you consider actionable. But also write down all of your thoughts and worries and concerns. Once everything is on paper, it frees your mind to work more effectively. 

And it works with everything. Let’s say you have an idea for a new marketing plan for your business. Or you want to start getting healthier. You want to get started on a goal, but you’re not sure where to get...