Trying Out That Austin Xander Thing
So, I kept hearing bits and pieces about this ‘austin xander’ approach. Wasn’t really sure what it was all about, sounded like another one of those fancy methods people talk about online. But things were getting a bit messy on my end, project-wise, felt like I was chasing my own tail most days. So, I thought, alright, let’s give this thing a shot. What’s the harm, right?
First thing I did was just try to find the simplest explanation. Didn’t want some heavy manual or complicated setup. Found some notes, seemed like the core idea was basically super-focus, like tunnel vision on the immediate next step. Okay, simple enough. I didn’t buy any special tools or apps. Just grabbed my old notebook.
My Little Experiment
I decided to use it on this personal project I’d been putting off. It felt too big, too many moving parts. So, Monday morning, I sat down, opened the notebook, and just wrote down the very first thing I needed to do. Not the whole plan, not the ten steps after, just task number one. It felt weirdly… small. Like I wasn’t doing enough.
Here’s kinda how it went day-by-day for a week:
- Day 1: Wrote down ‘Outline Chapter 1’. Did it. Took maybe an hour. Then I stopped for the day on that project. Felt strange, but okay.
- Day 2: Next task: ‘Flesh out Point 1 in Chapter 1’. Did that. Again, stopped when it was done.
- Day 3: ‘Find supporting stat for Point 1’. This took longer, involved some digging. Got it done by lunch.
- Day 4 & 5: Kept going like this. One small piece at a time. Write it down, do it, cross it off.
Honestly, the first couple of days felt unproductive. Like I should be multitasking, juggling more balls. Old habits die hard, I guess. I almost quit, thinking this ‘austin xander’ idea was too basic, maybe for beginners.
What Actually Happened
But by the end of the week, I looked back at my notebook. All these small tasks crossed out. And damn, I’d actually made more real progress on that stalled project than I had in the previous month. It wasn’t fast in a frantic way, but it was steady. Consistent.
The funny thing is, the reason I was feeling so scattered before trying this? I’d just come off this massive client job. Went totally sideways. We had all the fancy software, Gantt charts, daily stand-ups, the whole nine yards. But everyone was pulling in different directions, communication was a mess, and we missed the deadline by a mile. Cost me a bit, that one, not just money, but reputation too. Left me feeling pretty burnt out and questioning all the complicated ways we try to manage work.
So, this super simple ‘austin xander’ thing, just focusing on the absolute next step? It was like a palate cleanser. It forced me to stop overthinking the entire mountain and just deal with the single stone right in front of me. Didn’t fix everything in my life, obviously. But it showed me that sometimes, stripping things back to basics is the best way to actually get stuff done, especially when you’re feeling overwhelmed from past messes.
I’m still using it, mostly for tasks that feel daunting. Just that notebook and a pen. Write down the next small thing. Do it. Cross it off. Repeat. Simple. It works for me, right now anyway.
