The Victor method, for lack of a more creative description, is what I call my process for getting shit done. It’s a system that I’ve built to both try and welcome in a state of flow while also building in the right constraints and channels to enable me to produce even when that flow doesn’t come and putting out anything is just a tedious, painful grind.

The Victor method has served me really well. From graduating summa cum laude with honors in two majors, to passing the CFA Exam, to creating a business while working a more than full time job, the key disciplines of the system have created periods of intense productivity in my life. I’ve often gotten more done in four hours or four days using this system than in weeks of effort when I’ve ignored it and tried to approach tasks in a different way.

Outside of accelerating output, this method has also helped me stay on track by heading off long periods of stagnation. That’s probably just as key as momentum is really important: once you’re moving you can ride that train for a long time. Stagnation on the other hand is accretive. So if you can just keep the wheels turning—by habit, trick, or whatever—the rest often follows.

At its core, the Victor method is a pretty simple set of prescriptive steps. It can be universally applied by anyone. Hell, it is so straightforward that it wasn’t even until a few days ago when my brother asked me to “teach” or show him how I got all this work done that I even thought about this as a system at all.

But even though I’d never reflected on it, that’s exactly what the Victor method is–a designed system.

The simple rules I’ve built for myself are all triggers to set off a series of reactions and habits. Some of these habits are proactive measures designed to optimize my ability to start (and continue) to work. Others are precautionary habits designed to fend off the habitual blockers I encounter (including not getting started at all).

Yet the most powerful parts of the method are the ones least directly tied to working at all. You see my method has outwardly useless steps built into it which are all just guideposts to direct me back into the channels I want to go into. These are the anchors that let me slip back into a state of acceptance where no matter how I feel, no matter what I “want,” no matter what excuses I try to rationalize the next thing I’m going to do will involve a set period of productivity. Radical acceptance of this fact alone is often enough to trick myself into a more optimal frame of mind.

As with any channel we dig, the more you use it the deeper it gets, and the easier it is to follow the path of least resistance back to familiar ground. The key is to make sure the habits and rituals you build are pointing you to where you want to go.

So with the hope that what works for me might work for you, let’s go through how my system for getting shit done.

The Victor Method

1. Set your length of time – For me I tend to work in 4 hour sprints, although sometimes I go longer. Four hours is long enough to get focused, become immersed, and produce a significant chunk of output. Also, four hours of total focus always manages to feel like a stretch goal while rarely leaving me completely exhausted. While you should play with this length of time it isn’t entirely random. It actually parallels how “makers” such as computer programmers often work most effectively. I don’t recommend going to less than 3 hours if you want to get the most out of this system.

 

2. Decide on your goal – You should have one goal, maybe two and they should be all about output. A narrow focus is key since what we’re talking about here is execution not creativity. So if you’re working on a paper, the goal is to write not to do research. You may need to do research in order to put words down, but that research is just a means to an end. At the end of the time the only thing that matters is what you’ve written, the output towards your desired goal. In fact I’ll usually make sure I’m maximizing my “method” time by doing the prep work ahead of time.

 

3. Lock in your work zone – This one’s obvious. Set up your space. Do you have your computer, charger, cup of tea, pen and paper? Are you reasonably assured you won’t have to move? Do any cleaning or removing of distractions before you get going. If you clean your entire apartment over the next four hours but your goal was to finish a paper then you’ve failed. I used to have to leave my house because this was a constant distraction. Now I just have to mentally accept imperfections  of the space I’m in (mental or physical) before I start. Locking in your zone also involves making sure you’re not going to get distracted by people. For me I either need to be completely anti-social or be with others committed to producing their own output. There is no middle ground here.

 

4. Create a Starting Ritual– These rituals are anchors or habits—mental or physical—that make it easier to get into a flow state. These are inherently idiosyncratic, the only thing important is that they remain consistent. I only have two ironclad anchors that I use to start:

 

• I need to be seated in a chair at a desk or table, and I need to start with my feet rooted to the ground and good posture. You see I do a LOT of work on couches or lying down and a lot of work at the office slouched at my desk. But when I sit at a desk or table and I consciously root myself down through my feet I’m embracing a power posture to take on whatever is next. Aside from the energy of the posture itself I think what really matters here is that this is a consciously different approach from my norm.
• I play loud techno music through headphones. My brother says it’s the Dutch side of us, but melodic techno or house, with no lyrics, is the most critical part of this entire process for me. Not only is this part of the ritual and a sign for anyone nearby not to talk to me, but I actively seek to up-tempo my rate of output when the rhythm of the music accelerates. It’s a very active relationship, which is weird because normally I never listen to music.

 
That’s it. Other people I know use other anchors—the same location, the same time of day, the same cup of coffee beforehand, wearing the same hat or T-shirt. The type of anchor you choose is probably irrelevant, it’s the consistent application of the anchor followed by successful adherence to your intention that builds the right muscle memory.
 

5. Start – It usually takes me 20 minutes of uninterrupted work to hit stride. This is the period of maximum distraction (for me at least). You’ll want to check Facebook or Sportscenter and you’ll suddenly remember an email you need to send. Honor your intention and respect your practice and don’t fuck up before you even get started. It helps to understand this is the hardest part and requires the most mental energy.

 

6. Work – Sometimes there are no shortcuts. The whole point of this system though is that this part becomes habitual.

 

7. Use Reset Anchors – If you’re going for a four hour period of productivity there will be ebbs and flows of energy and concentration. You can fight through some of this but it’s also natural. I’ve found the best approach is to actively embrace built-in methods of clearing your head so you can acknowledge the change in mental state without losing momentum. I like doing a few things—pushups, brewing tea, and when I’m nearing the end or really starting to flag I put in a load of laundry. Why laundry? Doesn’t that go against having only one goal? Yes it does, but I do laundry because it’s quick and because by doing so I’ve just created a 90 minute window that time boxes the pain and lets me push through my internal hurdles. Plus its nice to have clean clothes. Remember that whatever your reset anchors are, they should probably be the same every time you employ the method as that just makes it easier to pick back up where you left off.

 

8. Either end at a great stopping place or end by setting up the next sprint. A great stopping place is when you’ve finished an entire concrete chunk of work. It’s not mid-paragraph or mid-chapter. At this point, even if you’re tired, you’re holding hours of total immersion and subtle connections in your head. You have a good model of what you’re trying to build. So get through the last little piece because if you don’t you’ll dread picking it up later and you’ll stifle the catapulting possibilities of starting on something totally fresh the next time you employ the Victor method. But if you’ve finished a section and you have a little gas left in the tank, it can be helpful to sketch out the next series of steps and goals.

 

9. Enjoy the secondary effects – One of the weirdest benefits I get from this method is that the more I’m productive, the more energy I get. I’ve honored my intention and that’s empowering. So while I may have drained myself on being able to write anymore, I’m now super motivated to go running. Then when I get back, I find that I’m still engaged, sort of in hyper-on mode. Maybe now’s the time to clean your apartment.

 

10. Turn off – Good job. Celebrate. Shake it out.

 
Stupid simple right? Set an intention to focus for a set amount of time, build the rituals that allow you to slip into a mental state of either flow or acceptance, force yourself to honor your time and output goals, and build the habit so it gets easier to resign yourself to the inevitable. You know the pattern is benefiting you when the hardest part is starting on Step 1, not actually doing the work in Step 5 and 6.

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Last modified: January 7, 2016