Write "Hello World!" Then decide on a specific time and place you will practice mind hacking each day, and keep the practice sheet in that spot as a visual reminder.
Start building up awareness of your mind by asking yourself, as frequently as possible, "What was my mind just thinking?" Keep track of how many times you remember to "check in" on your mind today.
For the rest of the day, try to become aware of whenever your attention is pulled away from the task at hand by either digital or human interruptions. Try to become aware of the feeling of "broken flow" when you lose your concentration. Keep track of how many interruptions you notice, and write down your total score.
Spend one hour cleaning out or turning off unnecessary digital distractions, including instant messaging, text messaging, notifications and alerts, time-wasting internet sites, and unnecessary emails. Count the number of digital distractions you turned off, and record that number below.
BONUS: Check off the bonus box if you set a recurring appointment in your calendar to review and eliminate further once a month.
Today is a big day: the first day of your concentration training. Put on the helmet, grab your light sabre, and let's begin.
- Choose a consistent time and place to practice your concentration game. (Morning is best, before the daily routine kicks in.)
- Decide on a consistent reward when you're finished (smoothie, shower, sleep).
- Find a comfortable place to sit, reasonably quiet and free from distractions.
- Sit with your legs crossed, or feet on the ground. If you find yourself getting drowsy, stand.
- Close your eyes and focus on your breath.
- Relax each part of your body, starting from the top of your head, your forehead, eyes, cheeks, mouth, jaw, etc., down through your toes, then back up again. This process should take 2-3 minutes. Mentally tell your mind what you are going to do, e.g., "For the next twenty minutes, I will focus on the breath, so that I may develop superhuman concentration."
- Now focus on the breath at the fleshy part where your nostrils meet.
- When you find yourself following your mind ("lost in the movie"), simply redirect it back to the breath at the nostrils. Score +1 point for noticing, and calmly redirect back to your breath.
- Keep track of your points on your fingers, or in your head.
- You can set a soft timer or alarm for twenty minutes; eventually you'll develop a feel for when twenty minutes have passed.
Record your final score, and check off the reward box as a reward for your reward.
Follow the instructions from the previous day, until they become second nature. Be sure to reinforce yourself with your post-concentration reward, and check off the box. Keep the reward consistent.
Today, in addition to your concentration game, spend the day trying to "catch" your negative mind loops as they happen. Watch for signs of mental "pain" or friction, which are a good indicator of thought processes that need debugging.
Debug each negative thought loop down to its bare METAL (My Emotion-Thought-Action Loop), using one of the three techniques:
- The Five Whys: Ask "Why?" five times
- Worst Case Scenario: What's the worst thing that could happen?
- Third Person Perspective: What would you say if you were hearing this from someone else?
Follow the previous day's instructions. Be sure to treat yourself to the reward.
Once more, follow the previous day's instructions. Don't forget the reward!
Today, play your concentration game as usual. Then complete the five imagination games in Section 2.2.
Write down one word for each. (It's better to get it done than get it perfect: You can always add more later.)
- Feel: The Mood Chip
- Do: The $50 Million Inheritance
- Have: The Genie in the Lamp
- Give: Your Evolution Contribution
- Be: The Funeral Speech
After completing your daily concentration game, write down each of your positive loops below.
Follow the previous day's instructions, and lock it in with a reward.
A great day to reread the instructions for the concentration game. Don't forget the reward!
The concentration game, followed by the written exercise, followed by a reward.
Today, do the concentration game, followed by the written exercise, followed by a reward. Then set up a reminder system for yourself, similar to the ideas in Section 3.2, that will repeatedly bring one of your positive loops to mind:
- Repetition Reminders: The $10 Million Check
- Repetition Trackers: Don't Break the Chain
- Talking to Yourself: Smiling in the Shower
After completing your daily concentration game and writing down your positive loops, spend sixty seconds doing a mental simulation on one of these loops, using one of the techniques mentioned here:
- Shall We Play a Game: simulating the steps involved with getting to your goal
- Block and Tackle: simulating specific difficulties and how you will overcome them
- Self-Simulation: seeing yourself in the third person Score a bonus for completing the one-minute simulation.
Do the concentration game, the written exercise, one of the simulation exercises, then a consistent reward. The entire process should take less than half an hour.
The concentration game, the written exercise, one of the simulation exercises, and your reward.
Follow your concentration_writing_simulation process as usual. Today, also share one of your positive loops with someone else: a friend, relative, or other trusted confidante. Be brave! Research shows that sharing your goals with someone else makes you more likely to achieve them.
After your concentration_writing_simulation process, you should now write down one small subgoal that will move you toward one of your simulated goals, asking yourself, "What's the next baby step to achieve this goal?" Use the LASER criteria, and write down this subgoal.
Repeat instructions from the previous day, crossing off yesterday's LASER subgoal if you've accomplished it. If not, consider making your subgoal even simpler (something you can accomplish today), or moving to a different goal.
Congratulations! You have developed a process for mind hacking that you can use for the rest of your life. You have learned to analyze your mind through concentration games, imagine new possibilities through writing and simulating, and reprogram your mind -- and your life -- through finding and acting on the next step.
Continue on with these fundamental exercises from Day 21: concentrating, writing, simulating, and acting. With this 21-Day Plan, you've made it through the first stage; from here on out, life itself provides the challenges. May you conquer the boss level with ease, and have the satisfaction of watching the end credits roll.
LEVEL UP!