Thoughts on Using TDP.ME Effectively

If you haven’t used TDP.ME, I highly recommend it.  TDP.ME allows you to register daily goals and track your progress over time.  If you’ve never been to the site, go ahead and check it out now. Seriously. Go ahead. I’ll wait….

What did you think? Cool, no?

So here are my thoughts on how to deploy TDP.ME more effectively.

• When you are first getting started, set goals that you can immediately meet.  Don’t say wake up at 5:30 am if your practice is 7:45 am. Start with 7:40 am.  This allows you to build momentum through my patent-pending process called “The Merest Microstep Elite Plan.”  Just kidding.  No patent pending.

• Don’t start with too many goals.  You’ll burn yourself out.  Pick maybe four or five, if that many.

• Try to accomplish as many of your specific goals as possible in the morning before you do anything else.  This really jumpstarts your day.  For example, when I know I have to record what I’ve accomplished in TDP.ME before I have my breakfast, I just get up and crank out my 20 pushups, 50 sit-ups, record three things I’m grateful for, briefly pray, make my bed, and take a walk.  (Not necessarily in that order….)  All this can be done in probably a half hour.  It’s like taking a shower—but better.

• Immediately record what you did in TDP.ME in the morning right after you do the task.  By the end of the day, you may not remember what you did and didn’t do—especially for things like prayer or mediation.

It is deeply satisfying to have four or five goals accomplished before you even sit down for breakfast.  It’s not that hard, especially if you set it up initially so that the goals are easily within reach and not too numerous.

For further reading, see The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg on building habits and The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod for thoughts on structuring your mornings.