Michael Mashkevich woke from a coma and rebuilt his life around three productivity strategies: breaking work into tiny wins, finding your focus zone with tools like Forest, and building resilience rituals like breathing breaks and dedicated workspaces.
What if your worst moment could unlock your best self? I was in a coma, and when I woke up, everything had to start over. What I learned turned me into the most productive person I could be. So for the first strategy, it's about embracing small wins. For me, it was easier, I guess you could say, because I couldn't lift my arm. So lifting my arm, walking, because I couldn't walk. And it made things so much more enjoyable when I had like, I wanted to do something, but if I could break it down into step by step, and then as you go through that, you check off that you got stuff done and with every check you celebrate, it makes things so much more enjoyable, rewarding. And whenever you have a task to do, you can always break it down into smaller steps. Make it into something manageable, something that you can celebrate with. And you can make your celebration something easier to think about, to celebrate. For example, you want to know how to build a website. So the first part is you create the one page and you create a title, and then you do a next section or you write an article. Each little part, each little step, you celebrate. And it makes things so much easier when you feel better going step by step. And you start feeling like you got superpowers. Makes things easier to get things done. Feel the small wins, enjoy the small wins, and celebrate. So for my second tip, my second superpower that I found is you need to find your focus zone. So this could be different for anybody, right? Some people work better in the morning, some people work better in the evenings. And find your zone. What works well for you? Where do you feel the most productive? Because how you feel is how you're going to perform. And I've used apps like, I think, PromoFocus, and I think there's Trees or Forest. That's another one where you plant a tree and you have it set for being a certain amount of time that you're focusing. For example, 30 minutes. In 30 minutes, you plant a tree, and then in 30 minutes that you planted the tree, and then in those 30 minutes, that's when you focus. That's when you are working on getting what you want done. And These kind of ways to kind of stay focused is really the key to making yourself have that superpower, get things done, and be more productive in what you want to do. So focus, get stuff done, and find your time that works. Strategy number 3, develop resilience rituals. For example, what worked for me when I was going through, and this might work for you too, is whenever you feel like you are not feeling That good, or you're getting a little tired, maybe develop a ritual to take 3 deep breaths. Just take a little break from what you're doing, sit down or lay down, or sit, just focus for 3 breaths. In, out. And then you start feeling better and you can go back to getting what you need to get done. And another thing that worked is sometimes I just listened to music. I had playlists It was on Spotify or YouTube Music, and those playlists would get me into that focus mode. I would just be able to kind of sit down, get down, and get going with my stuff. It just made things so much easier to do stuff. Those same resilience rituals, you go back to kind of finding that place that works for you. As I mentioned before, maybe you have a coffee shop or Or I used to work in the library too. Like, you know, you gotta work in the library from 2 to 4 and you got a place in the library that you like. The lighting is good, the vibe is good, the music is good, and just go there and do it. Set the time to get it done. Use that, that Forest app, PromoFocus app, set the time that you wanna do your stuff and then get going with it. Make the ritual possible so you can get your stuff done. It's awesome. Just to summarize what I've Gone through. Number 1 was embrace small wins, right? Every victory you can celebrate. You could jump up and down. You could just take a break and you gotta go, yeah, I did it. Makes you feel good. It keeps you going. Okay. 2, find your focus zone. Where does it work for you? In the morning, evening, library. Find that zone, set your timer, get going, feel good. That's number 2. And number 3 was develop your resilience rituals. Maybe you have a playlist you listen to. Maybe you have a special spot you go to. Find what works for you. Breathe. Maybe take notes what worked for you, what didn't. Find ways to feel good. So let me know below what has worked for you, if any of these 3 suggestions that really made a difference for you. Hopefully like, subscribe, and I'll be sharing more awesome tips going forward. Take care.
