This is a guest post by Ben Keene. You can find out more about Ben here.
At the Escape School this is the question we ask more than any other.
Here are a a dozen insights that have helped me over the years stick to work I want to be doing (almost) everyday. Let us know what else guides you.
1. Think in 3 Horizons — but only execute on 1st and 3rd.
Horizon 1: What are you doing now / this week / month to set you on the path you want to go on? Act. Do. Make something happen.
Horizon 2: What’s going to happen between now and the long-term? You don’t know. Things change. A lot. So, don’t waste time planning too much.
Horizon 3: Where do you want to be in 5 years? What values will underpin this lifestyle? Who will you be working with? Always keep this in mind.
2. Write a letter to yourself from the future
It’s 2019. Write a letter to yourself saying what you’ve achieved over the last 5 years and how you’ve done it. This may sound stupid but it’s a great way to visualize where you want to go and what really matters. Exchange letters with a friend or mentor if it seems weird doing it by yourself.
3. Less is More.
Simplify everything. This isn’t just about great UX. It can be about a lot of your life. This year I ‘pruned’ 15% of my life — clothes, kitchen cabinet tins, playlists, books, social network ‘friends’. This stuff works.
4. Master the most important venn diagram in the world
5. Write an Escape List and pin it on your wall (fridge. facebook. bathroom)
Make yourself accountable to a friend to do this.
6. Don’t let being comfortable kill your ambition, because it will.
7. Bin the CV. Build a Story.
I might be wrong but I think CVs won’t be around forever. What matters when I meet someone is whether they’re doing something they really want to be doing and have gone out and built the skills and experience necessary to do that thing better. There are SO many good web tools for sharing your story, there’s no excuse.
8. Do one thing exceptionally well rather than everything just well.
9. Always try and escape the ‘vicious circle of badness’ @davecorn
These are excuses. Try not to use them.
10. Use stimulants! Coffee for productivity. Beer for creativity. Water for life.
11. Read books that challenge you as well as blogs that distract you!
We agree with Zuck on this one. Sometimes you need to go deep to go far. That’s why we started Rebel Book Club.
12. Above everything — surround yourself with people who are doing work they love.
Positive mindsets equal productive, happy lives. Simples.
