I read a summary of “The Twelve Week Year” and experienced a world-class boost in productivity—especially aided by apps like Structured and Griply. Structured has been the best friend to a woman with an unpredictable schedule like me and also a godsend for someone who struggles with time-blindness due to ADHD. The ability to clearly see how much time I have between tasks was a game-changer and also helped me to stop my terrible habit of constantly being late. Griply also was a major bonus to 1) my self-esteem and 2) my task completion rate. I’ve always been a goal-getter, but being able to physically see how much practice I am or am not making, and have all of my aspirations in one clear app helped me turn into the person I always knew I was—not just who I wished myself to be.

But this isn’t about productivity apps, nor is it about the two $29.99 year-long subscriptions I happily purchased for these two indie apps. This is about change—a profound change. As I completed my habits of meditation, exercise, and pilates, and forced myself to improve my cooking skills, I was absolutely shocked at this one habit that completely turned my life upside down.

I’ve tried every spiritual practice under the sun to help with my mental health, but this one adjustment got me out of my head and into the real world. At Disney, they call it “making magic” and this habit is a secret that separates the good companies from the great:

Attempt one good deed every day.

Notice how I said attempt, not even completing a good deed. Simply having the intention to do one kind thing for someone else has helped me to become more aware of my surroundings and look at people in a totally different way. I’m a bit more generous when I play Dead by Daylight, and I secretly did my mom’s laundry when she was busy working (note: results may vary. Please don’t do random people’s laundry without consent, that’s creepy.).

That’s not to say that I’ve been completely selfish or self-absorbed my entire life (just some of it), but looking for ways to improve life for others on a small scale once a day helped me go from feeling purposeless and bored to engaged and inspired.

Before, I would get so caught up in trying to figure out how I could best serve others on a grand scale. How can I help world hunger? How can I protect children from harm? How can I donate/save the planet/etc? I felt as though I wasn’t quite aligned with any particular path. While people always encourage others to start local when tackling big change, I have yet to hear someone who encourage others to attempt small. Rather than feeling absolutely paralyzed by all of the potential ill effects and hazards of miseducation, attempting good deeds leaves room for error, for learning, for imperfection. We are imperfect people, so our deeds are also going to be imperfect.

Happy deeding and keep going!

-Jo