Become a GyShiDo-San, Get Your Shit Done and Become More Productive
Roger Stringer / January 20, 2017
5 min read
Ah Daniel-san, you have come in search of ways to be more productive in your day and get more done. That is a wise move, let me tell you about the art of GyShiDo and how it will help you Get Your Shit Done!
I have a lot of good reasons to get my work done quickly:
- I work remotely, so the faster I get my tasks done, the faster I can call my workday over;
- I'm a dad, so having more time to spend with my daughter means a more complete experience in life;
- I'm constantly staring down a long list of things I want to work on, so getting things done quickly allows me to tackle my passion projects without burning the candle at both ends.
In the past, my approach was to simply go ahead and just throw myself headlong into a new project — working furiously for as long as I could manage, hacking and slashing toward the finish line.
These days, I slow down, take a breath, and make a plan for my work day. I get more done, and still have time to do what I love.
How? Simple, I found GyShiDo and follow it every day.
The Art of GyShiDo is a manifesto created by Pascal Finette to help you do more and be more productive. GyShiDo is short for Get Your Shit Done — the most get-up-and-get-’em mantra ever made — and, according to the manifesto’s website, was dreamed up over beer back in 2012. GyShiDo is all about razor sharp focus and the art & craft of simply getting things done.
At its core, GyShiDo focuses on the following Code of Honour:
- Relentless Focus:
- Focus on the 10% of your activities which drive most of the value. Relentlessly.
- Single Task
- Multitasking is a myth. By doing multiple things at the same time we keep ourselves busy doing shitty work with lousy outcomes. Laser sharp focus.
- Boring Consistency
- Do the right things over and over again. Consistency forms habits. Habits make hard things effortless.
- No Bullshit
- Don’t bullshit yourself or others. Apply brutal honesty and transparency to everything you do.
- No Meetings
- Meetings come in only two forms: Standing or social. If it’s social, it’s over breakfast, lunch, coffee, dinner or drinks. If not – don’t sit down.
- Follow Up
- Don’t let others wait for your part of the job. Ever.
- Don’t be an Asshole
That's right, 7 simple principles that can change your entire way of thinking.
Before you say that they're pretty obvious, just stop and think about them.
Relentless Focus and Single Task
How often do you stop and plan your day? How often do you look at what needs to be done today, versus what needs to be done throughout the week? If you take the highest priority items that absolutely need to be done that day, and move the other items to tomorrow, You can focus on getting those things done without distractions.
Now of those items you selected to do today. Start with the first one, don't look at the others, hell, set your phone to DND mode and focus only on getting each task done.
Boring Consistency and No Bullshit
Do your work over and over, as you do them, you'll get faster, you'll get better, and you'll become more productive.
Don't say X will be done today if you put it on the task list for tomorrow, say it will be done tomorrow.
No Meetings and Follow up
I used to work in an office where another developer would jump at any chance to spend the next three or four hours in a meeting. The end result, nothing got done.
Your time is better used getting shit done
If a task requires something from someone else, reach out to them as soon as you know you need something from them. Don't leave them waiting on you.
Well that one speaks for itself doesn't it?
When I first thought about these 7 rules and how they applied to my own life, my head exploded (Obviously, it didn't actually explode, but it came close).
Just like you, and just like everyone else, I'd often mistake being busy with being productive. It was a horribly horibble habit of mine.
And you know what? Because I'd easily find myself working all hours, day or night, I wasn’t setting harsh enough deadlines or properly planning my day and then I would just end up busy and working all day, but definitely not nearly as effective or productive as I could be.
So I started doing like I've said above. I use an inbox for what needs to be done today, and an inbox for what needs to be done tomorrow.
I don't ever look at tomorrow until tomorrow is today, then I look at those tasks and move the tasks for today into the today box.
It's that simple, and yet, it's so much easier to get shit done and still have time in your day.
If you want to master the Art of GyShiDo then look at your regular daily tasks, and take the ones that absolutely have to be done.
Then do them.