Okay so last Tuesday I finally decided to dig into Emil Jimenez’s whole thing, y’know? That guy everyone keeps talking about for getting stuff done. I was stuck, spinning my wheels on my own projects, so I figured, why not try his method? Total experiment mode.
First Move: Hunting Down the Deets
Right, step one was obvious: I needed to know what the heck his actual process was. Went straight to YouTube. Searched “Emil Jimenez workflow breakdown”. Scrolled through maybe ten videos, clicked on three that looked semi-official or deep dive-ish. Watched parts of each. Took notes on my phone like crazy. Main takeaways:
- He chunks time like a beast. Big blocks, no distractions.
- Prep is king. Dude spends legit time before doing anything.
- Review, always. Ends his day looking back? Weird, but okay.
Not super complex, honestly. Just felt… intentional. Planned.
My Test Run: The 90-Minute Blast
Next morning, cleared my desk. Seriously, threw all the junk mail and random cables into a box. Made coffee. Turned phone to airplane mode. Opened up the stupid project report I’d been avoiding. Set a timer on my oven – phone was off, remember? – for 90 minutes. Told myself: Just focus on this one section, nothing else.
Honestly? The first fifteen minutes sucked. My brain itched to check emails, scroll feeds… anything but the report. But I just sat there, forcing myself. Around minute 30? Weirdly clicked. The words started flowing easier. Ideas popped up related only to the section. Finished outlining the damn thing by the time the timer beeped. Mind blown.
Adding the Bookends: Prep & Review
Felt good about the focus block, but Jimenez talks about setup and wrap-up. So next day, tried it. Before starting work, spent ten minutes with my notebook. Wrote:
- What ONE thing MUST get done today? (Just the report intro)
- What tools/materials do I need? (Laptop, research notes #4, quiet)
- When’s my focus block? (10 AM – 11:30 AM)
Post-work (around 6 PM, feeling fried), pulled out the notebook again. Quick five minutes. Bullet points:
- Done? Intro drafted, research notes #4 used.
- Block worked? Yeah, mostly. Phone off crucial.
- Tomorrow’s ONE thing? Polish intro & draft section 2.
Felt… lighter? Like I wasn’t carrying the whole chaotic to-do list in my head overnight.
The Big Realization (And Where I Cheated)
After a week of this? Jimenez is onto something big with the intentionality. Planning the block made me commit. The deep work block forced action. The review gave closure. Simple steps, powerful punch.
But here’s my cheat: Jimenez seems rigid. I ain’t. Some days I can only do 50 minutes. Some days the “review” is just muttering “finished intro” while brushing my teeth. My tip? Steal the spirit, not the letter. The core is planning a shield against distractions and going deep. The exact minutes? Make ’em fit your chaos. It worked way better than my old “just wing it and feel overwhelmed” strategy. Took effort upfront, saved me time and stress later. Worth the hassle.
