⚡️ DIRN Explained in 5 Minutes

Hey there! Welcome back to The Flow by Flocus. And to the 5,365 new subscribers this week, hello and welcome 👋 If you’re new, you can catch up on our previous editions right here.

This week: We’re diving into DIRN — the “Do It Right Now” method — for beating procrastination and getting things done faster! Let’s waste no time and jump in.

🤔 What’s DIRN?

Short for “Do It Right Now”, DIRN is designed to kill procrastination.

The idea is simple — if you can complete a task right now, do it!

For example, let’s say you just got a reminder from your teacher to submit your essay topic by next week.

You might reply something like, “Thanks! I’ll send my topic by next Friday” and then put it off until the due date.

Or, you could do it right now and submit your topic in your reply.

If you can clear it off your plate now, what’s the point in waiting until it’s due?

The same principle applies to chores, work, and everything else!

🚆 How DIRN Keeps You On Track

Here are a few ways DIRN makes you more productive:

• You’ll be grateful to “past you” for crossing some items off your ever-growing list

• You’ll feel less anxious and overwhelmed by your tasks

• You’ll have the motivation to complete “bigger” tasks now that you’ve taken care of the smaller stuff

• Tasks won’t linger as long, stressing you out and making you wish you’d done them sooner

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Now, let’s get into how to incorporate DIRN into your life today.

🪓 DIRN Tips & Hacks

Once you start DIRNing tasks and chores in a way that suits your brain, you won’t be able to stop!

Here are some tips to get you started.

💪 Pick actionable tasks

When entering DIRN mode, choose tasks you can complete quickly by yourself.

Complex tasks that require other people’s input will be a lot harder to do right away.

Also, consider how long your task will take. If it takes 10 minutes, go ahead and DIRN! But if it takes an hour and you only have 15 minutes to spare, save it for another time.

⏲️ Set a timer

Try setting a timer for how long you think you’ll need to complete your task — then get to work!

Using a timer will help you work faster, and even adds a bit of fun by encouraging you to race against the clock.

🥾 Squash distractions

Don’t let yourself get distracted by things you’d “rather” be doing! The sooner you finish your task, the sooner you can enjoy some downtime.

If a new task or thought pops up, jot it down, then keep working until your task is 100% complete.

🧘 Know yourself

DIRN is a lot harder when you’re burned out or having health issues.

Give yourself grace on bad days, and don’t force yourself to be productive if you need rest.

If you can’t DIRN, schedule it instead to free up some mental bandwidth.

🖥️ Flocus: All-in-One Dashboard

Use Flocus to help you DIRN! It’s our all-in-one, browser-based dashboard for focus and ambience.

 👀 Psst — you might notice a couple new features we just dropped. Be the first to check them out!

Open in Browser

🪅 Flocus Picks

A curated list of things worth sharing.

• DIRN Mode, Activated (TikTok) — In this short clip, Olivia Pascale shares how she applies DIRN to her wedding tasks.

• Million Dollar AM Routine (Article) — See how Jana Shakhashir incorporates DIRN into her morning routine!

• Eat That Frog Method (TikTok) — Tips for completing your most difficult tasks first thing in the morning for less stressful days.

While DIRN isn’t ideal for every task, it’s a great way to smash through “smaller” items.

The shorter your to-do list, the more energy you’ll have to work on the big stuff!

Until next Sunday,
Flocus Team