Sometimes You Need to Act Like a Robot and Don’t Think, Just Do!

Mar 2018

Often throughout the day we spend time making decisions on things that are unimportant. The key is to think about which non-important decisions in your life are taking up the most time and using the most brain power. Then figure out how you can eliminate those decisions by using a principle called ‘don’t think, just do’ and in essence act like a robot! Today, we will look at how ‘acting like a robot’ helped Rick’s friend Ashley.

From: Ashley <Ashley69@aol.com>
Sent: Friday, February 17, 2018 2:19 PM
To: Rick Melnyck <rmelnyck@hotmail.com>
Subject: Question

Hey Rick,

Happy Friday! I was wondering if you could give me some advice. I find I am spending WAY too much time making decisions on stupid things like what to eat, what to wear etc.

Are there are tools or tricks you know that can help me?

Thanks,
Ashley

From: Rick Melnyck <rmelnyck@hotmail.com>
Sent: Friday, February 17, 2018 4:54 PM
To: Ashley <Ashley69@aol.com>
Subject: RE: Question

Hey Ashley,

Happy Friday back at ya!

That’s a great question and you are not the only person to have this problem. Let me introduce you to a principle called ‘don’t think, just do’, it is related to a a technique used in business called ‘Exploit Variation’ that will no doubt solve your problem.

Let me quickly explain variation in terms that you would understand. Let’s say you hook up with different guys all the time, the more varied your sexual encounters with them will be with respect to your enjoyment of them. Some will be good, some will be bad, some may make you scream so loud the paint peels off the walls, some probably won’t end soon enough. Different…inputs will have different and unpredictable outputs.

However, if you find one dude that you have great sexual chemistry with, who consistently rocks your world, you will know what to expect. The same input will have a more consistent and predictable output.

That in a nutshell is variation.

The idea is to limit the number of different inputs so that the output is more consistent and thus predictable.

One example of ‘don’t think, just do’ is limiting the choices of what you wear every day. Imagine the time you will save in deciding what to wear, as well as the time you will save when you go shopping. There are many people such as Albert Einstein, Mark Zuckerberg from Facebook, Steve Jobs from Apple and our own Howie Gitlow from Prime Your Pump who limit the number of outfits they wear to eliminate the variation in their decision making by applying the principle of ‘don’t think, just do’. This not only saves them time, but saves their brain power for making more important decisions throughout the day.

Yes, there is a thing called decision fatigue which is a phenomenon where the more decisions you make in a day results in a deteriorating quality of your decisions as the day goes on. The key is to reduce the number of non-important decisions you make by acting like a robot and ‘don’t think, just do’. That way when you have important decisions you can use your mental energy on them.

There is also another added benefit of being like a robot, which is that you aren’t negotiating with yourself. How many times have you gone to do something and then said to yourself, ‘I will start eating good tomorrow…’ or ‘screw it, I will start my gym routine tomorrow’. NO! Do not do that! You can always rationalize shit in your head, so never negotiate with yourself. Once you plan on doing something, act like a robot and don’t give yourself other options, just do it.

Hope this helps and let me know what you come up with!

Thanks,
Rick

From: Ashley <Ashley69@aol.com>
Sent: Saturday, March 25, 2018 11:11 AM
To: Rick Melnyck <rmelnyck@hotmail.com>
Subject: RE: RE: Question

Hey Rick,

Using the principle of ‘don’t think, just do’ has really helped in both saving me time and also reducing my decision fatigue.

Here are some examples of how I used it:

Yup, wearing the same outfits has been a game changer for me. Especially during the week for work. On weekends I have more time, and I like to dress up when I go out.

I have also started eating the same meal for breakfast, the same meal for lunch and the same meal for dinner. This change has helped me stay fit too as I have figured out what is both healthy and tastes good. Buying groceries is also much easier and since I always buy the same thing I find my grocery bills are roughly the same which has helped with my monthly budget.

I have scheduled regular sessions with a personal trainer, therefore I don’t have to waste time thinking about if or when to go to the gym.

I have been waking up and going to bed at the same time which has made for more consistent sleep and energy throughout the day!

Scheduling my work day. Instead of having meetings scattered throughout the day, I now block mornings for work time and use the afternoons for meetings. That way I don’t have to think about when I will be able to get certain tasks done.

My commute to work, I found a time where there is less traffic and I can get there in 15 minutes instead of 30.

Thanks!
Ashley the Robot LOL

P.S. Your explanation of variation made perfect sense, although it doesn’t exactly apply to me, I’m into girls 😉

Use It or Lose It!

To use the ‘don’t think, just do’ principle in your life:

Think about which non-important decisions in your life are taking up the most time and using the most brain power.

Figure out how you can eliminate those decisions by reducing the number of choices you have by becoming a robot!

When to Use ‘Don’t Think, Just Do’

When you find you are wasting both time and mental energy in making non-important decisions.

Discuss…

Are there any other examples you have where you have exploited variation by using the principle of ‘don’t think, just do’ and acted like a robot?

Thanks for reading and until next time, remember…PYMFP!
Rick

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Sometimes You Need to Act Like a Robot and Don’t Think, Just Do!

Use It or Lose It!

When to Use ‘Don’t Think, Just Do’

Discuss…

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