August 26, 2010 34 Comments

Block at a Time

Pablo's cubism period began at three Everything we do can be visualized in blocks. When Julien and I write, we figure out the larger shape of the book in small words. We then extend, breaking each piece into blocks. We then break the blocks down into blocks. And then, we move the blocks around when that has to happen.

My fitness and nutrition efforts fit into blocks. I took on nutrition first. I lost 20 pounds. I need 40 more gone, but nutrition won’t move the needle, so I will up my fitness efforts. I’ll do it one block at a time. I’ll add in more cardio, and also work on building a bit more muscle. Block at a time.

When I was seriously in debt, I paid things off a block at a time. It took a really long time, but I only looked at blocks. If I owed $20,000, I just thought about sending a check for $200. And then I knew that I had 100 of those checks to send. Somewhere along the line, it felt better when I could send two blocks ($400). And then I’d finish off a debt and block the next one.

When I market for people, I think really big, and then I try to put that into blocks. We just signed a new beverage over at New Marketing Labs. I’m really excited, because I’ve not done much marketing with beverages. How will I approach it? Block at a time.

Things just look so huge when you try to take them all in at once. Everything is much too huge when you do that. But when you can see a block at a time, you can work on that block. You can work relentlessly on those blocks, once you’ve taken in the big picture and know you’re working on the right blocks.

Block at a time, friend. It’s how we do it.

Related posts:

  1. A New Time Budget
  2. 6 Time Management Tips: Time Audits
  3. Time Quilters
  4. Not Time Management
  5. Build Blog Posts Like Building Blocks

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  • http://jakyastikblogs.blogspot.com Jaky Astik

    That’s quite an old thing to say, but with a fresh approach – break down your tasks, complete the tiny ones, go ahead, have that big one completed little by little.

  • Anonymous

    As I embark on an upcoming cross-country move and new creative project, this couldn’t have come at a better time. Thanks for the resonant, practical advice. :)

  • http://www.esimplestudios.com Gabriele Maidecchi

    Very true, having a programmer’s background I can very well compare it to the task of breaking a big application in smaller parts, each with a specific function, and have them work harmoniously together for the final goal.
    If I remember correctly, one of the GTD approach “rules” in project management is to break an intimidating task into smaller subtasks and work them one by one, so yeah, I agree with you totally.

  • http://reallifemadman.blogspot.com Marjorie Clayman

    Just so long as I don’t have to move giant, 5 ton blocks at some point like the builders of Stonehenge did. I’m looking for the fine print! :)

  • http://www.grizzard.com/author/epratum/ Eric Pratum

    It’s interesting how many things can be described this way. Of course, you have to be intentional to make progress on your book, fitness, debt, etc…all of those aspirational things, but at the same time, sliding backwards works in block-form too. You open a bag of chips, and instead of taking a certain amount out all at once and then closing the bag, you eat from the bag. Chip by chip, you put on the weight. The same goes for building up debt. Instead of allotting yourself a budget, you just pay out small blocks of money here and there. Transaction by transaction, your credit card bill grows. The difference is intention. In one instance you intend to change. In the other, you intend nothing, but things still change.

  • Bob G

    And it helps to measure your progress!

  • http://www.danieldecker.net Daniel Decker

    Outstanding analogy here. Makes me think of playing with Lego’s as a kid. I rarely read the directions but instead I just sat the box next to me and looked at the picture. I saw what it COULD and SHOULD become and then I just started with one Lego block at a time and built it.

    Easy to get overwhelmed when the task seems so big but bit by bit it’s attainable. Great reminder.

  • http://ksoliv.wordpress.com/ Kleber Oliveira

    Thanks for the extremely useful reminders, Chris. Break down to build up.

  • Sandra Ponce de Leon

    one step at a time. thanks for sharing and congrats on the weightloss and the new business!

  • rpwatkins

    This is an excellent post! I’m a big fan of planning out minor tasks along the way to completing much larger ones. Personally I start with the little stuff. The stuff that I really don’t want to do. The stuff that will always get in the way of final completion. The junk work. These I devote to smaller blocks, when I can use up small slices and bits of less productive time. I save the bigger stuff for longer blocks of undisturbed time. These are “rewards” I give myself for getting the little stuff out of the way first.

  • http://TannerChristensen.com tannerc

    It’s true, baby steps (or blocks) work. 37signals wrote about it in their book “Rework” and brought up the point that working in blocks lets you stay motivated, which is often hard to do. Keep yourself motivated by accomplishing smaller tasks of a larger goal, and you’re more than likely to succeed.

  • http://karate-kids.com.au Sensei Matt Klein

    This is exactly how we motivate our karate kids. Break down the goals into small, achievable steps. Builds their confidence and makes it easier to get them to stick with it as they feel like they are progressing. Probably harder for adults as sometimes life gets in the way. Unexpected bills, holidays, etc.

  • http://www.wordandmouth.com Dave Thackeray

    Thanks for the words of comfort and sage advice, Mr B. As someone who’s about to launch into a 21,000-word project (I know – trifling in comparison to your book work, but I’m just a wannabe emeritus professor here…) I need to know I can break it down into digestible chunks.

    How far down the line are you with the book? Have you refined the process of writing as per your blocks philosophy since the days of Trust Agents?

  • http://neuronrobotics.com Janet Gershen-Siegel

    Ah, chunking. It definitely works as otherwise everything seems so incredibly daunting.

    BTW, not to butt in on your fitness efforts, but also look at adding more water and taking away more salt. 8 glasses a day of water starts off as being daunting, too. So … you start with one right before lunch, or right after breakfast, and work your way up. Same thing with reducing salt, instead of just chucking the shaker, you look for small ways to do it, like sometimes making your own tomato sauce, or substituting low sodium soy sauce for regular (and insisting on it at restaurants). Little things add up in any of these areas.

    Best of luck to you with your efforts — it’s not easy. Oh and another thing. Hand in hand with chunking goes patience. The Little Engine That Could does not go up the hill quickly, but the engine still gets over the hill and that’s what really matters in the end.

  • http://jakyastikblogs.blogspot.com Jaky Astik

    I just read a blog post on how John Grisham became one of the most popular authors of our century and how he started by writing just one page a day, working no more than one hour in between his day to day lawyer practice.

  • http://nateriggs.com nateriggs

    Blocks help in everything. Figuring out what the blocks should be is not one of my strong areas, but I’m getting better. Like how you break this down. It helps me…

  • http://twitter.com/CRRTravel1 Tom Ranieri

    moderation is the key to life. Great post Chris and best of luck with the next 40lbs.

  • http://astrofix.net/ Michelle

    I so feel you on the debt management. I’m about the same in debt- whittling it away as much as I can.

  • http://www.ivanwalsh.com Ivan Walsh

    fwiw he’d also start at 5am to get some work done before his real job kicked in. it can be real hard to leave a nice warm bed at that hour, but ‘no pain, no gain’, I guess…

  • http://yoursalesplaybook.com paulcastain

    Great analogy and as someone who was also in debt and eliminated it the same way . . . I hear ya!

    Respectfully,
    Paul Castain

  • http://www.kherize5.com Suzanne Vara

    Chris

    One block at a time is such a powerful and inspiring way to look at things to make real progress and attain our goals. Looking at the big picture sometimes is so overwhelming and at times serves as a deterrent as we see the end so far away. Breaking things down into small chunks gets us started, we see progress and we are motivated the entire way.

    Hmh yeah small blocks to get to the end result. I like that.

  • http://www.slymarketing.com Jens P. Berget

    That’s how I do it as well, I believe that the hard part is knowing how to define a block. For instance, when it comes to the money issue, how do you know that it’s $200 and not $300 and the same goes for your weight loss?

    To me, it’s all about experience, and testing. The important part is knowing that you should turn “everything” into blocks.

  • http://www.webhostinglogic.com/web-marketing/web-marketing-home.html Seo Guru

    Nice post. Although a lot of people already know that, they seem not to remember when they see a lot of ads saying they had earned this much online. I mean, they are made to believe that can be achieved in less effort and with less time. Whatever we do in life, we always starts small. We start small as baby, don’t we? Then we grow big.

  • Whitney Hoffman

    What’s funny is this is the best and outwardly simplest advice ever, but the one the most people have trouble with- how to take a big project and not only break it into smaller bits, but also sequencing the chunks in a way that ensures you’ll get to the end successfully. It’s what trips up kids with school projects. It’s what trips up big and small companies. It trips up all of us.

    Laying out a pathway of stepping stones also allows you to negotiate hurdles more easily when they block the path, because you always know where you are, and all you need to rearrange are a few steps ahead to go around the speed bump.

  • http://www.dogwalkblog.com/ Rufus Dogg

    Kinda makes you wonder why Lego doesn’t branch out into the planner industry and give Franklin-Covey a run..

  • http://chrisbrogan.com Chris Brogan

    Sequencing, it turns out, is a big part of everything. I read that in The Millionaire Maker. She said lots of people have a sense of what they need to do (to get wealthy, in this case) but they have no clue the proper sequencing.

  • http://karilcustomdesigns.posterous.com/ Karen

    Thanks for the great post, Chris. I am going to try and adopt the ‘block’ method to get me over a couple of hurdles. When I think of projects/goals as a whole, be they fitness-related or how to get my mini business going, I find myself stabbing out in all directions and not accomplishing anything effectively.

    Breaking things down into achievable blocks will demonostrate progress and help with completion anxiety. Again thanks.

  • http://www.fusionmarketingblueprint.com Mac

    As for the time management a real stopwatch or a countdown timer, is going to help you stay focused and on-task. I usually manage things in blocks of 55 mins with 5 minute break in between and after 4 hours of this, a 15 or 30 min break… So far so good :)

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_SCGGB4TRJPJORCXZNZD46XO5D4 Chuck Jones

    Just look at the big things when you try to keep everyone together. Everything is too big when you do. But when you see one block at a time, you can work on this block. You can work hard on these blocks.

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  • luissandovaljr

    Chris, you and I are of one mind on this issue. I too look at things in terms of quantifiable units that I can monitor in order to make progress. Understanding the big picture is one thing, but living in the big picture can be daunting, even make tasks seem insurmountable. Visualizing small units of achievable goals is really the way to go.

    Specifically with debit, I’m approaching it the same way and making more progress than when I looked at the total sum of what I needed to manage. A great example.

    Thanks again for sharing your thoughts on this and I hope others can find wisdom in the idea of managing their lives one block at a time.

  • http://www.canadageneric.com/ Canadian Drugs

    Furthermore, sequencing of the songs in a way that ensures that you reach the end successfully. That shooting children in school projects. That’s what travel companies large and small. Travel to all of us.

  • http://www.blackfridayplanet.com/ William Hushburn

    That’s the reason why kids who plays lego are sometimes good in Math, in Arts or anything. They sometimes develop thier thinking skills through buuilding something.

  • http://www.blackfridayplanet.com/ William Hushburn

    That’s the reason why kids who plays lego are sometimes good in Math, in Arts or anything. They sometimes develop thier thinking skills through buuilding something.

  • lasley herald

    Sequencing, it turns out, is a big part of everything. I read that in the machine millionaire. She said many people have an idea what to do (to get rich, in this case), but they have no idea of ​​the correct order.