Learning the Hard Way
Been trying to copy Christopher Canali’s daily grind stuff for weeks now. Figured I’d just hammer those “key skills” he talks about into my own routine. Honestly? It ain’t like flipping a switch.
First up, this “deep work blocks” thing he swears by. Sounds simple, right? Just carve out chunks of time. Okay, blocked off two hours early in the morning. Sat down, opened the laptop… and spent the first dang twenty minutes checking email and scrolling feeds like I always do. Habit’s a beast, man. Took me a solid week just to start the actual work task within the first ten minutes of that block. Had to physically remove my phone to another room. Felt stupidly anxious without it buzzing next to me.
Next part was the review rituals. Canali makes it sound smooth. My attempt? Total chaos. I scribbled down some wins/lessons on scrap paper Monday and Tuesday, then completely blanked Wednesday. By Thursday I was trying to remember what Tuesday even felt like. Had to force myself to set a literal phone alarm labeled “STOP AND THINK” at 6 PM. Still forget sometimes, dammit.
The Productivity Tool Mess
He mentioned some specific apps in that video – his “command center” or whatever. Yeah, no. Tried downloading one. Spent an hour setting it up all fancy, linking calendars and tasks and clouds and god knows what.
- Woke up the next day, opened it… froze my whole laptop.
- Restarted, tried again… lagged like I was on dial-up.
Closed it forever. Went back to my basic notepad app and a plain text file named “DO THIS SHT”. Works ten times faster. Fancy tools? Only good if they don’t make you waste the time you’re trying to save.
The Real Pain Point
Then came the “pre-emptive task crushing” – doing tomorrow’s worst task TODAY. Canali makes it sound heroic. My experience? Pure dread. Kept putting it off. “I’ll do it after lunch…” Lunch came. “Maybe after coffee…” Coffee gone.
Finally tackled it around 4 PM one Tuesday – this gnarly report I’d been dodging for days. Finished it. Felt… okay. Like taking out the overflowing trash. Not amazing, just necessary. But here’s the messed-up part: my boss pinged me needing THAT EXACT REPORT suddenly Wednesday morning. If I hadn’t forced it Tuesday? Would’ve been scrambling like an idiot while he watched.That’s when it clicked. It wasn’t about feeling good. It was about not getting screwed.
The Daily Grind Tweak
What stuck? Not the whole framework. Bits and pieces.
- The phone exile during morning work? Mandatory. Still hate it, still do it.
- The 6 PM “what happened today?” alarm? Hits me maybe 4 times a week now. Better than zero.
- Slaying the ugliest task by 5 PM? Still feels terrible, but knowing the alternative is worse keeps me chipping away at it around mid-afternoon.
His polished system? Didn’t fit me. It rarely does, right? But those three little tweaks I fought for? They’re the difference between drowning most days and just treading water like a champ. That’s the win.
