This post had been on my doodlestorm page for quite a while, but it got moved to the top of the “to write” list by a deal I made with Angel N. Sullivan in the comments on Monster Naptime.

Angel came through with this great post on her Parts Work, and so…..here is the promised explanation of the Vin Diesel Method (which, if I remember correctly, I first mentioned during an #emmit chat.

First though, I have a confession to make.

I like action movies.

Yeah, yeah, I know. Girly girls aren’t supposed to like action movies.

But I’ve decided to embrace Armande Voizin’s advice to her grandson – “Don’t worry so much about supposed to.”

Now that THAT’S out of the way, the Vin Diesel Method is based on a quote from his character Xander Cage in the movie xXx. (For purposes of this post, it is really quite critical that when you see the name Xander, you imagine Vin Diesel and NOT Nicholas Brendon, who played Xander Harris in Buffy the Vampire Slayer.)

In case you haven’t seen it, the five cent version of the plot is that Xander Cage is an extreme sports/adrenaline junkie type who is “recruited” (practically forced) to go undercover for the government to get information on a group called Anarchy 99.

Lots of stunts, lots of gunfire, lots of explosions. You know, an action movie.

The part we’re interested in today is near the end. One of the anarchists is sent into a building with instructions to “hold them off” and is doing a pretty good job against the Ivans (police officers, both named Ivan). They believe themselves to be “pinned down” and don’t know what to do. (Ever have that “oh jiminy christmas, there’s no way out” feeling?  Me either. *crosses fingers behind back*)

Then Xander arrives.

“Dude! Stop thinking Prague Police and start thinking Playstation. Blow shit up!”

(And then, of course, he proceeds to save the day. Because it’s an action movie. And he’s the action hero. It’s just what happens.)

Granted, most problems in the real world don’t require a bazooka or a heat-seeker. And I’m truly grateful for that. But imagine the possibilities if we interpret that to mean something a bit more like “Get out of your mental ruts and try something different already!”

Mental ruts, I have them. If I don’t make a conscious effort to mix things up, LOML and I end up eating the same five things over and over and over again. If I’m not paying attention, I wear some outfits to death while others get shoved to one side and forgotten. Ditto for accessories and makeup and perfume.

What if I used the quote as inspiration to question whether I’m really as “pinned down” as I think I am? What if I (like the Ivans) just need to think more creatively? Xander was able to save the day because he had noticed previously that the anarchist was always, always smoking. He used that information to blow the guy up with a heat-seeker.

Is my schedule as impossible as I think it is? Or are there opportunities for sanity that I’m not noticing? Where would simple shifts bring huge change?

What if I remembered to use Havi Brooks’ Video Game Technique?

What if I remembered to ask myself regularly if I’m thinking Prague Police or Playstation?

What if I practiced getting over my fear of metaphorically blowing shit up?

How much would my world change?

And now, because I suspect that this has all sorts of possibilities and potential applications I haven’t thought of yet, I’m declaring a Brainstorm Party in the comments. Thinking out loud, random bits you haven’t quite worked out yet, mildly related stream of consciousness – all welcome. Being specific about the sort of input you’d love from fellow commenters – encouraged. Leaving just a smiley face or a hello – perfectly fine.

As usual, snacks are on the table over to the left. Help yourselves!

This is a fun mental trick I like to play on myself. It might work for you too. Or you might think it’s the silliest thing you’ve ever heard. If you aren’t into monsters, just read this post as permission to find something fun that does work for you, mmmkay?

One thing I noticed when I started my Noticing practice was that when I decide to accomplish something, whether it’s decluttering, or a creative project, or whatever, the monsters who live in my head sound the alarm. ALL HANDS ON DECK! SHE’S TRYING TO GET SOMETHING DONE! WE MUST STOP HER!!! DANGER! DANGER! THE SKY IS FALLING!!!

And then they proceed to do everything in their power to stop this calamity.

Usually by showing me Shiny Objects. Like the laundry. Or Twitter.

One day, in frustration, I said to them (Yes, I talk to my monsters. It’s okay if you don’t.) “Can’t you guys just go take a nap?!?!”

To my surprise, they agreed to do so if I would tuck them in. (Yes, my monsters talk back. It’s okay if yours don’t.)

So I went through a visualization process in which I got them glasses of water, tucked them in under snuggly blankies, made sure each Distraction Monster had its teddy bear, and read them all a bedtime story. Then I turned off the lights and closed the door. (Imagine the bedtime scenes from Despicable Me, and you’ve pretty much got it.)

And they went to sleep and let me work! Woo Hoo!

In the interests of full disclosure, no, I don’t always remember to use this when I should. Working on it!

And no, it hasn’t worked every single time I’ve tried it. Sometimes my brain is spinning too fast. But it works for me significantly more often than it doesn’t, and works well enough to make it soooo worth a shot.

What’s your favorite way to get your monsters to calm down and let you get something done? Sharing party in the comments! (Looking for the comment link? It’s waaaay up at the top, under the title of the post.)

(or What My Cat Taught Me About How I Work)

Ok, so this is another one of those wacky things that works for me but may sound bonkers to you. If you think Circle and Swat will work for you, great, give it a go. But also feel free to read this post as a permission slip to notice how you work and then figure out a way to work with your natural process instead of against it.

Have you ever watched a cat approach an unfamiliar object?

One day while watching Magick investigate I-don’t-even-remember-what, I realized that I approach Big Scary Projects exactly the same way. I’ll approach it warily, maybe even touch it quickly, and then I back away. In some cases, an external deadline eventually forces me to pounce, kill, and devour. For projects with no deadline, Circle and Swat continues until the glorious day when momentum takes over and I unexpectedly just keep working.

Before I came to this realization and gave the technique a name, I felt bad about myself. I thought I was a lazy procrastinating bum. And people who can make a beautiful prioritized list in the morning and work their way down it may agree with that assessment. But I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s just my workstyle. For better or for worse.

I’m currently experimenting with working this knowledge into my planning process. I know from long experience that I can’t plop some huge thing – like “do taxes” – into my to do list and expect that to end anywhere but on the couch with a bag of Cheetos and an NCIS marathon (Have I ever mentioned that I’m in love with Abby? I am. Now you know.)

I know perfectly well that the first day all I’m going to be able to handle is finding our W-2s and the thing the bank sends about the interest on the home loan. So what if I did something completely radical and scheduled “Find W-2s and whatever those other things are called”? For the next session, the only thing I’m going to get done before the anxiety is too much for me is importing the info from last year into this year. Why not acknowledge that and move on?

Why mentally beat myself up for not doing the entire thing at once? Where has that ever gotten me? Has it gotten the taxes done any faster? No. In fact, it stresses me out so much they end up taking longer than if I just worked with my normal tendency to circle and swat.

Hey, it works for the cat!

A few weeks ago, I was trying out Havi Brooks’ Hello, Day practice. When I got to the Slightly Future Me Says section, my pen wrote, “Today can be the day you get your Healthy Habit Project back on track. You don’t HAVE to wait to start or restart things on Monday or on the 1^st. You can just start. The Starting Police won’t come. Really.”

Somehow, this was a major revelation. I realized that this “rule” is actually Insane Carp. Planning to start something at a future time (like Monday or the 1^st) can be a good thing. It can provide time to plan, get rid of the Doritos, inform people who need to know I’ll be making changes, that sort of thing. But where did I get the idea that it isn’t okay to start something new on a Thursday afternoon? Who says? And who put them in charge?

This is my dream, and I’ll start new stuff on Thursday afternoon if I want to. (Hey, that needs to go on my Dammit List! –which is also explained here and here)

As I thought more about the Starting Police, I realized that the idea of the Monday Start is even more damaging when it’s REstarting that’s under discussion. If I don’t (for whatever reason) exercise on Tuesday, which is the better response? a) oops. Oh well, life is what it is. Tomorrow’s a new day. Or b) Oh dear. Now the whole week is ruined. I’ll start again on Monday.

Seems obvious all written down like that, right? But this is the kind of Insane Carp my brain cells think up.

Clearly, the only solution was to throw a huge imaginary retirement party for the Starting Police, give them all imaginary gold watches, and send them off to a beach in Costa Rica to sun themselves.  According to the postcards, they are having a wonderful time.

 Note:  This is the post that accidentally launched Taking Back Taryn.  You can read the story here.