A ✨superpower✨ you didn’t know you have. Have you ever had that one thing that you just can NOT seem to get done? Or maybe it’s more of a project that seems so big that you just simply can’t/won’t/don’t tackle it no matter how hard you try? If so, have you ever tried bookending? It’s the easiest hack I’ve ever found for getting things done.
Bookending 101 it is simply this (literally two steps!)
1. You pick a person (a friend or coworker or colleague) and tell them you’re going to do something and when you are going to do it by.
2. And then, when you do it, you tell them (that’s the bookend)—“I did it!”.
This 100% works for me. It’s especially potent if I need to get something done in a day or two or three. I bookended with my friend Bev many times for book proposal due dates. I called her and, in all seriousness, said, “Hey, Bev, I have to get this done, can I bookend with you?” Then I told her a little bit about the thing I needed to get done. Each time she replied, “Okay, Nicole, I’ll hear from you tomorrow then, by X time, that you got it done!”
And then I actually did it. The secret sauce here is the element of accountability and for me, it totally works. I want to do what I say I am going to do but especially when I have committed to the thing with another person. Also, my psyche likes the challenge and thinks it’s fun in a subtly competitive with self way. Try it! It’s free and ready to go.