The power of the mind – the 48-hour hack

How often do you set yourself on mind-crunching challenges in choking time limits? I mean, who would want to in the first place? As crazy as it may seem, for the joy of it I decided that I should put myself in that test.

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Ever since I set myself on a productivity routine, I have seen tremendous results in work and my personal life. I go to bed at 10:30 in the night, and after 7 hours of sleep I wake up to a set morning ritual. It was clockwork, and I was on top of my game. On the other hand, there were days when I would go mentally defunct if I did not get my quota of sleep. Many of us do, but do you think that it is an assumption that you can hold for long?

To shatter assumptions, there is something exhilarating when it comes to setting challenges. I decided to dive into a 48-hour hack. The goal was simple. Arrive at a solution(document) by addressing 24 issues in the research forum I co-founded.

24 tasks… in 48 hours…

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The first thought to pop up: How do I quit?

I came back home, pleased with myself that I proclaimed to set myself to this herculean hack in one week. I was thrilled; in a sense, I was even amazed to realise that I can set myself to such exciting tasks. I was a proud man. But two days before the hack, all my mind could think about was how would I avoid going through this.

There were two options in front of me: never show up and let time hide this pompous goal or logically state reasons so that you can politely excuse yourself.

Could I call in sick? I could always tell them that there are more important works to do… But all I did was one simple thing.

Just Start

There is one thing that you have to do when you feel like quitting – Never discuss with someone else.

This is because we often reach out to someone who would tell what you’d want to hear. When you are in a mood to quit, all you will want to hear is assurance that it is okay to quit. I would recommend you to keep thoughts to yourself and get started with the work. As I did so, one thing after the other unravelled, and before I knew it, I was in a momentum that kept me going steady and strong. 24 tasks…in 48 hours…

You won’t burn out!

I was baffled by how much I could do! At the end of the hack, I had slept for 6.5 hours in total and had 2 hours to spare. With the assumption shattered I was not only left with the single document but also have a priceless confidence; confidence of being able to step into the impossible.

 

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You’d be surprised when you find out how capable your mind and body are. We often under-utilise them.

It is a known fact that depriving ourselves of sound sleep is deleterious to our health. I am in no way recommending or asking you to follow this approach. However, it is cardinal to understand that our mind and body can outperform our mental assumptions.

You already have boundaries built. Push them by trying out challenges that in turn pushes you.